Birth control pills have become somewhat of a hot commodity these days as women become increasingly aware of their bodies and the risks associated with unsafe sex. However, many women feel uncomfortable talking about the subject publicly. So, let’s get informed.
“The pill,” as it is commonly called, provides protection against several factors, including pregnancy, ovarian cancer, iron deficiency, osteoporosis, acne and PMS symptoms. With such a wide range of defenses, no wonder 30 percent of women, age 15 to 44, choose the pill more than other methods of contraception, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Birth control pills were developed and made available under the direction of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and her colleague Katharine Dexter in 1960, and the pill’s growing popularity is a constant focus and concern of the company. Planned Parenthood administers prevention services that include family planning, gynecological care, abortion services, HPV vaccinations and the testing and treatment of sexually-related diseases.
While walking into a Planned Parenthood center is not what most women want to be seen doing on a Sunday afternoon, protecting themselves from life threatening diseases should easily trump that fear of humiliation.
To take advantage of these services and meet with an available nurse practitioner, any individual may set up an appointment at his or her local health center. Planned Parenthood nurse practitioners are able to write prescriptions for birth control pills to be picked up at the individual’s personal pharmacy, or patients can walk out with the pills in hand.
But exactly what price must a woman pay in order to protect herself from unwanted pregnancy and the increasingly long list of sexually transmitted diseases that are so prevalent in today’s world?
Nationwide, on average the cost of one month’s package of birth control pills ranges from $20 to $35, and with a possible output of $420 per year, fewer women see this cost fitting comfortably into their budgets. However, cost does vary depending on insurance. A Sept. 10 article from The Boston Globe, “Campus cost hike for birth control sets off concerns,” stated that, according to health officials, the cost of birth control pills would reach between $30 and $50 per monthly allotment in the future.
“That’s actually a really big issue right now, especially on college campuses,” said Planned Parenthood spokesperson Lisa Dacey. “College health centers are no longer eligible to receive low cost prescriptions.”
At Tufts University’s Health Service office, the cost of birth control pills available to students has now risen from $7 to $25 per monthly package of pills, a ridiculously unrealistic feat on a student’s budget.
Anastasia, a freshman who asked to have her name changed due to the sensitivity of the subject, shares these same criticisms of rising birth control pill costs, even though she discovered a way to avoid them. When Anastasia first talked to her doctor about going on the pill, he issued her a free month’s sample pack of pills as a trial run. Satisfied with the results of a “lower flow” and shortened period, Anastasia continued receiving free packs of pills each time she revisited her doctor’s office monthly. Though she successfully avoids those steep monthly payments, Anastasia must still remember to book appointments with her doctor on a regular basis, each including a co-pay of $15, in order to receive the pills, a far less convenient process compared to visiting the local pharmacy for a refill.
As advocates of reproductive health, Planned Parenthood set up its “2007 Prevention First Agenda.”
“Birth control is basic health care – yet attacks on women’s access to contraception are on the rise, and for many women, access to reliable methods of family planning is increasingly difficult,” according to the company’s website.
The agenda aims to push the Prevention First Act through Congress, a “family planning initiative that expands access to preventive health care services and education programs to help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections and improve women’s health – all while saving scarce public health dollars.”
Though prices are on the rise, improvements have been made. In response to this growing inaccessibility, as of Oct. 1, 26 states had adopted a law stating that insurers must provide coverage of contraceptive drugs if they cover other prescription drugs as well.
Also, nine out of 10 employer-provided insurance plans now cover prescription contraceptives, three times the number of companies that did so a decade ago. It is encouraging to see that companies are rewarding women for taking care of their bodies, and, in turn, their loved ones.
However, problems arise with individuals whose workplaces do not cover health insurance, leaving them with an uncovered, monthly fee. Hopefully, with the help of Planned Parenthood, further change will occur in order to supplement this continuing demand.
“We’re really working to try to convince Congress to fix this problem,” Dacey said. “We believe that everyone should be able to have affordable birth control.”
This is a touchy subject, which means more women need to be educated on the topic if they do not feel comfortable talking about it aloud. I know more girls who are on the pill than are not. Shocking, but very true. Do not be afraid to ask.
As always, consult your physician, or make an appointment with Northeastern University’s Health and Counseling Services at (617) 373-2772. For more information, visit www.plannedparenthood.org.
– contributed by a News Correspondent
