How much can expanding access to long-acting reversible contraceptives reduce teen birth rates?
We estimate the degree to which expanding access to long-acting reversible contraceptives
(LARCs) can reduce teen birth rates by analyzing Colorado's Family Planning Initiative, the
first large-scale policy intervention to expand access to LARCs in the United States. Using a
difference-in-differences approach, we find that the $23 M program reduced the teen birth
rate in counties with clinics receiving funding by 6.4 percent over 5 years. These effects were
concentrated in the second through fifth years of the program and in counties with relatively …
(LARCs) can reduce teen birth rates by analyzing Colorado's Family Planning Initiative, the
first large-scale policy intervention to expand access to LARCs in the United States. Using a
difference-in-differences approach, we find that the $23 M program reduced the teen birth
rate in counties with clinics receiving funding by 6.4 percent over 5 years. These effects were
concentrated in the second through fifth years of the program and in counties with relatively …
Abstract
We estimate the degree to which expanding access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) can reduce teen birth rates by analyzing Colorado's Family Planning Initiative, the first large-scale policy intervention to expand access to LARCs in the United States. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the $23M program reduced the teen birth rate in counties with clinics receiving funding by 6.4 percent over 5 years. These effects were concentrated in the second through fifth years of the program and in counties with relatively high poverty rates. State-level synthetic control estimates offer supporting evidence but suffer from a lack of power. (JEL H75, I18, I32, J13)
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