Free contraception in Quebec would cost province about $22 million, IRIS report finds
Quebec study says free contraception in Quebec could cut unplanned pregnancies by about 25 percent while costing roughly $22 million annually after initial rollout.
Strong summary of IRIS findings
The Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques estimates that implementing free contraception in Quebec would carry an initial price tag of about $22 million to the provincial government. The figure factors in both the direct cost of supplying contraceptives and projected savings from preventing unplanned pregnancies. IRIS projects the policy would reduce unplanned pregnancies by approximately one quarter, with subsequent effects on health and social outcomes.
Cost trajectory and first year surge
IRIS cautions that the first year of a free contraception program would be the most expensive as many people currently deterred by up-front costs switch to long acting methods. The report calculates that by the fifth year the annual net cost to the province could fall to about $10.6 million due to lower ongoing per-person expenses. Those net figures exclude condoms, which IRIS estimates would add roughly $4 million to $5 million per year if included.
Effect on unplanned pregnancies and abortion rates
The report links greater access to contraception with fewer pregnancies that are unplanned and higher use of more reliable methods. IRIS analysts note that between 39 and 45 percent of unplanned pregnancies are terminated, and that an abortion in Quebec carries an estimated procedural cost of $500 to $1,000. By preventing unintended conceptions, the province could see both improvements in maternal and fetal health and a reduction in related health expenditures.
Projected shift toward long acting reversible contraception
IRIS projects notable changes in method mix if cost barriers are removed, with a decline in oral contraceptive use and increases in intrauterine devices and implants. The modelling foresees a roughly 7.5 percentage point drop in pill use and an 8.6 point gain for the hormonal intrauterine device over five years. Researchers say the implant and IUD approaches, which can approach near 100 percent effectiveness in practice, become more widely adopted when their initial costs are covered.
Condoms excluded but public health implications remain
The $22 million estimate explicitly excludes distribution of condoms, a policy choice that would add further expense but could drive downstream savings. Free condom distribution would likely reduce sexually transmitted and blood borne infections, producing long term benefits to the health system and to quality of life for affected people. IRIS highlights that costs associated with treating infections and their broader social impacts should be weighed alongside the immediate program price.
Federal funding and intergovernmental options
The report points to the federal pharmacare measures announced in 2024 as a potential source of funding to offset provincial costs for contraceptives. Several jurisdictions including British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Yukon have already struck arrangements with Ottawa under that framework. IRIS urges Quebec to pursue similar federal agreements, noting precedent where provinces have negotiated infrastructure and transit funding to advance public policy objectives.
Access, education and equity requirements
IRIS underscores that removing the cost barrier is only one element of an effective sexual health strategy and that information and services must be expanded across the province. Current Quebec public coverage already supplies contraception free to people under 18, some full time students under 25 without private plans and recipients of last resort financial assistance. The report stresses those groups are a minority of potential users and that awareness of existing entitlements is uneven.
The research team led by Eve-Lyne Couturier argues that wider free access should be paired with improved sexual education and better-distributed clinical services so that people can choose the method best suited to their needs. She told researchers that free contraception would help normalize sexual health conversations, improve gender equality in decision making and ensure that financial constraints do not shape reproductive choices.
A provincewide rollout would require coordinated funding, clear public information and expanded clinical capacity, the report concludes, but IRIS maintains the potential health and economic returns justify serious consideration of free contraception as public policy.
