Mississippi Medicaid Leads US in Depo-Provera Prescriptions Amid Lawsuits
Mississippi Today reports that Mississippi Medicaid recipients received the highest per-capita rate of prescriptions for the injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera in the nation in 2025, the fourth consecutive year the state has led the country. More than 19,000 prescriptions were filled for Medicaid patients, and experts cited in the piece say providers often fail to offer Medicaid patients full contraceptive options or obtain meaningful informed consent, with assumptions frequently driving prescribing decisions for low-income women, young women, and women of color. Recent studies from 2024 and 2025 link prolonged use of the drug to increased risk of meningioma, a usually benign brain tumor, and over 6,400 plaintiffs nationally have filed lawsuits against the manufacturer. The story profiles Mississippi women affected by long-term use, including one whose family alleges the drug contributed to her death.