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Broadening the Commercial-Sector Participation in Reproductive Health: The Role of Prices on Markets for Oral Contraceptives

This study examines the impact of public sector pricing on commercial oral contraceptive (OC) markets. Dr. Foreit found that introducing or promoting free OCs in an established commercial market induces users to abandon the commercial sector without increasing overall use. Conversely, a single policy step of introducing a small user fee in free, untargeted government programs might encourage wealthier public sector clients to switch to commercial outlets -- allowing donor and public resources to be used more strategically.