Austrian region seeks to extend free contraception program
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In Vorarlberg, Austria, Green Party representatives Eva Hammerer and Christine Bösch-Vetter are urging the regional government to continue the INVVO pilot project beyond 2026. INVVO provides around 3500 women with free contraception and related counseling.
The representatives cite a recent Austrian contraception report showing many women struggle to afford reliable birth control. The report found that half of women pay for contraception alone, and 37 percent would choose different methods if costs weren’t a barrier.
Austria ranks 27th out of 47 European countries in terms of contraception policy, lacking national health system coverage for these costs. The INVVO project, launched in October 2024 by former Health Minister Johannes Rauch, aims to address this gap by providing access to contraception for women in Vorarlberg. The project currently receives nearly one million euros in funding through 2026 from the Ministry of Health and is being scientifically evaluated by Gesundheit Österreich GmbH to gather data on contraceptive behavior.
Hammerer and Bösch-Vetter propose a funding model where the national government, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund, and the Vorarlberg region each contribute a third of the program’s costs. They also hope to establish long-term, easily accessible, and free contraception services for women and girls in the region, arguing that financial relief is especially important during times of rising prices.
