Check VA coverage :-0
@katliamom and in this case, the experts are pretty much all in agreement that OTC BC pill is just fine 
It’s the moralists who have a huge problem with it. Same as they did with plan b and condoms (yes, those used to be only behind the counter, too)- and those have turned out to be just fine
@3scoutsmom - convenience
Not all college students have a car and not all campuses have pharmacies nearby. If you were a college student without a car which would you find better, a three mile round trip walk through the snow to the local pharmacy or a walk to the bathroom of the on campus student center?
That’s the whole point. It’s a whole lot more convenient to get it without the hassle. Wonder if the student health center is offered birth control. @Sue22 - your post was a response to @3scoutsmom , not me, yes?
In college, one of mine did need to get a mile or so to pick up meds. No car. Not BC.
I see no issue with gals who feel ready for sex starting their routine visits to an Ob/Gyn or nurse practitioner specialist. In fact, the initial and annuals were something I did emphasize. If you’re going to be sexually active, own it. Period.
In college, I knew so many who couldn’t acknowledge they were having sex. It wasn’t for the challenge of getting to a doc. It was them. And unfortunately, at one point I realized that, of my dozen closest friends, half or so had had abortions. None were on any BC.
As for vending machines, fine. They’ve been dispensing condoms for a long time.
@jym626, yup. I got lazy and did a cut and paste without attributing the quote to @3scoutsmom. :)>-
No worries. Thanks for clarifying.
You have to go to the doctors or clinic for regular ‘well care’ anyway why not get a perscription then and get the perscription filled by mail order. What could be more convieniant than having your perscription auto filled and mailed to you?
Good grief. What if the [person decides a short period of time after their annual physical that they want to use BCP. They likely would not want to have to make another appointment or wait a year.
I just wanted to chime in and say this is good. It’s WAYY WAYY cheaper to pay for contraceptives than to pay what happens if the child is carried/born/given away into the foster care system/orphanages.
There is a new service called Nurx. Women can order BCPs online. So far it looks like it is available in 12 states. The patient fills out an online request and health survey that is reviewed by a medical professional, looks like an NP or MD reviews it and then a 3 month supply of the BCP is sent. It works with or without insurance.
I think this is a great idea. I’m not sure I really think having BCPs in a vending machine is a great idea though it’s probably better than people having unprotected sex if you have to choose. Getting it easily OTC from a pharmacist who can ask a few screening questions and provide a little bit of education on how to effectively use it seems reasonable.
One issue with having to go to a doctors appt. to obtain it is with girls who are underage and aren’t comfortable discussing this with their parents then it may just not happen.
Can students obtain prescription birth control from most college health centers? I would think they could but honestly am not sure.
@cellomom2 that sounds like a very good solution.
I could argue both sides of this about BCPS but 2 thoughts:
Can anyone name a college campus, absent the BYU and Liberty type places where a student doesn’t have access to getting them through the campus health center?
I don’t think comparing condoms to BCPs is a fair comparison - attaching a piece of latex to you body for a short period of time versus daily dosages of hormones into your body.
dos, not everyone can go through a campus health center because many are still on their parents’ insurance and don’t want parents to know that they’re using bc.
Personally, I would not have been able to go to my undergrad’s health center because they were only open while I was at work or school.
^ That is yet another reason why they should be OTC. Getting to the doctors is very, very hard for many women for many reasons. It’s one of the reasons I originally switched over to the implant. After going to the pharmacy every month (and doctor every 3 or 6 months- depending on when it was) just for birth control pills for like 8 years, I was over it.
@doschicos University of San Diego (and, I imagine, other Catholic-affiliated colleges) will not dispense any type of birth control from the student health center. Their health insurance covers contraceptives with a co-pay, but they have to be prescribed by an outside physician and the prescription has to be filled at an off-campus pharmacy.
It’s not a huge imposition to stop at a nearby Walgreens once a month - especially when your campus is in a major city - but the policy is frustrating.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believes they should be OTC.
FDA won’t let them go OTC though largely for political reasons. Though when you look at access and paying for them, making them OTC would remove the requirement that insurance companies cover them at no cost to the patient under the ACA (I believe).
My daughter’s doctor, who is also my doctor, has a policy that has worked well. She must see the patient for an initial history and exam before prescribing birth control pills for the first time. If there are no problems, she will continue to prescribe the pill if the patient will have blood pressure checked every 90 days and send the reading to the doctor. She prefers an annual exam thereafter, but it doesn’t impact prescribing.
As a woman and mother of adult daughters, I support the republican proposal to make birth control pills OTC, however, I do think a history and exam should be conducted before initial prescription. When my D was working in West Virginia, she had no problem getting her prescription filled at Walmart after emailing the doctor a screenshot of her blood pressure.
No matter what I think people under the age of 18 should be able to get birth control without their parents knowing. Especially if they’re at college
Regarding condoms, vending machines have been around for years (in places other than college campuses), though not that common.