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Jilly_in_VA

(9,852 posts)
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:00 PM Jul 2021

Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It's Not

For Stephanie Force, finding a birth control method that she likes and can get without paying out of pocket has been a struggle, despite the Affordable Care Act's promise of free contraceptives for women and adolescent girls in most health plans.

The 27-year-old physician recruiter in Roanoke, Va., was perfectly happy with the NuvaRing, a flexible vaginal ring that women insert monthly to release hormones to prevent pregnancy. But her insurer, Anthem, stopped covering the branded product and switched her to a generic version in early 2020. Force says the new product left her with headaches and feeling irritable and short-tempered.

After talking to her OB-GYN, Force tried an IUD. But that made her feel worse: She had bad cramps, gained 10 pounds and developed severe hormonal acne. Plus, she was charged $248 for an ultrasound her provider used to guide the insertion of the device, a charge she successfully fought.

Force also considered a couple of birth control products approved in recent years: a non-hormonal vaginal gel called Phexxi and a vaginal ring called Annovera that can be used for a year. But Phexxi isn't covered by her employer health plan, and she would owe a $45 copayment for Annovera.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/21/1018483557/contraception-is-free-to-women-except-when-its-not
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I'm past the age of needing it, but this is so infuriating! It's just another example of bias against women. Viagra is free or very low-cost on many/most insurance plans, but female products, uh-uh.

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It's Not (Original Post) Jilly_in_VA Jul 2021 OP
Taxing Feminine Hygiene Products leftieNanner Jul 2021 #1
Same thing with hormone replacement therapy. zuul Jul 2021 #2
I used the patch Jilly_in_VA Jul 2021 #4
Same here. Diamond_Dog Jul 2021 #3
Insurance companies are bullshit Jilly_in_VA Jul 2021 #5
Our wonderful for-profit healthcare system. Diamond_Dog Jul 2021 #6
I used to work for an allergist. halfulglas Jul 2021 #7
I'm curious about Nexplanon, the implanted contraceptive. MineralMan Jul 2021 #8

leftieNanner

(14,997 posts)
1. Taxing Feminine Hygiene Products
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:10 PM
Jul 2021

Falls in this category.

I'm past the age of needing contraception, but my daughters aren't.


zuul

(14,615 posts)
2. Same thing with hormone replacement therapy.
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:21 PM
Jul 2021

I'm in menopause and I need hormones so I won't kill some innnocent person. And the hormones help control migraines for me.

Almost every common hormone causes severe nausea or migraines for me. After initial approval by my insurance carrier, the 2 hormone Rxes my doctor has found that work for me with no side effects have now been eliminated from my plan.

My doctor is now trying to get approval for a compounding pharmacy to mix something special that mimics the hormones that I could tolerate. I'm not hopeful that she can pull it off.

Jilly_in_VA

(9,852 posts)
4. I used the patch
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:30 PM
Jul 2021

My insurance company tried to make me settle for a generic. It broke me out not only underneath it but in the whole surrounding area. Dr. negotiated with them and I got the real thing again.

Compounding pharmacies are great. And there is a possibility that it won't be horribly expensive after all. I have something mixed for me that costs $65, but only about every 6 months because I only use a bit of it at a time.

Diamond_Dog

(31,657 posts)
3. Same here.
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:21 PM
Jul 2021

If contraception is supposed to be free, then it should ALL be free. Not every woman can tolerate just one or two types. This is bullshit.

Jilly_in_VA

(9,852 posts)
5. Insurance companies are bullshit
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:33 PM
Jul 2021

When I was a case manager in home health I used to have to call assorted insurance companies. I can't tell you how many times some idiot would preface a statement with, "Well, I'm not a nurse, but...". I always wanted to retort, "Well I am, so why in hell are you trying to tell ME what's necessary for this patient?"

halfulglas

(1,654 posts)
7. I used to work for an allergist.
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 01:50 PM
Jul 2021

And I can't count the number of letters I typed to insurance companies to cover the name brand drug because of allergies to a binding agents, etc. in the generic drugs, which is a big reason the name brand drug will work fine but the generic causes a bodily reaction. So often the insurance company tried to get away with not covering the name brand if a cheaper drug is available.

MineralMan

(146,189 posts)
8. I'm curious about Nexplanon, the implanted contraceptive.
Wed Jul 21, 2021, 02:19 PM
Jul 2021

Since I'm a guy and have no women in my life of child-bearing age, I don't encounter much discussion of contraceptive methods. Does anyone have any experience with Nexplanon? It seems like a decent choice for women who are not planning a pregnancy for a few years, and maybe for younger women who have problems taking an oral contraceptive regularly.

I just don't think I've every heard anyone discuss that one.

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