Supermarkets and Birth Control

     A birth control law passed in my native state of California was supposed to be ground-breaking and, while it was, it's been slow to come to fruition. Quelle surprise, right? Women should have easier access to fill their BC prescriptions by taking them to a pharmacy, but this has proven to be a lot more challenging than it should be.

     On this blog post, I'll be referring to this Los Angeles Times article that presents the delays that women still face in accessing BC despite the new law. The law doesn't require pharmacies to provide BC through the new law, and many aren't sure that they ever will, but it would make things a lot easier for women, that's for sure. The reluctance of some pharmacies is "in part because it could take up to an hour to complete the process for dispensing contraception to women. They must take the patient's blood pressure, administer a questionnaire about health issues that could raise red flags and go over side effects." (1)

          1) Taking time to check-in on a woman's health is somehow more burdensome than
              unwanted pregnancies?
          2) And while they should, I have never had a pharmacist go over side effects with me. They
              tell me to hit "yes" on the prompt that they went over the side effects with me and then I
              sign my name attesting that this actually happened. Yes, we're both liars.

     Nihar Mandavia, pharmacist and owner of Drugist Pharmacy in Laguna Niguel, has the right idea. He "doesn't think the extra time spent with patients will be a burden for his staff...[helping] customers with such services [like consultation] can give independent pharmacies like his an edge over big chains." (2) Go Mandavia. If I could afford Laguna Niguel and used BC, I would be your customer. If I owned a pharmacy, I'd be your competitor.

     The real problem, though, could be the actual consultation. BC is covered by the Affordable Care Act, but not the consultation itself, and it's unclear whether private insurance companies would, or will, cover it. The price of the consultation seems to be somewhere in the $40-$50 range and could prevent those who don't have the money to go to the doctor's to seek out BC. (Although to THAT I would say, Go to Planned Parenthood.) Despite this, though, it's good to know that starting in January, the state's health insurance, Medi-Cal, will begin covering any consultation fees. Hooray! And the other good news is that under another law passed this year in CA, women will be able to get a year's supply of BC at once instead of having to go each month (or in the case of Planned Parenthood, every 3 months). Double hooray!

     Currently, these supermarkets' pharmacies will fill your BC:

                    - Albertsons
                    - Vons
                    - Vons Pavilions
                    - Safeway

     A statewide pilot program is under way with

                    - CVS (5 in LA; locations weren't listed)

     Still ironing out details:

                    - Walgreens
                    - Ralphs

     Hopefully we can get more insurance coverage and women don't have to hide or go on a senseless, time-consuming hunt just for wanting to take control of their health and life.

1. Karlamangla, Soumya (2016, October 31). Women still face delays Los Angeles Times, B5.
2. Karlamangla, Soumya (2016, October 31). Women still face delays Los Angeles Times, B5.