Posted on Jul 21, 2021
Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It's Not
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/21/ [login to see] /contraception-is-free-to-women-except-when-its-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.
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.
Contraception Is Free To Women, Except When It's Not
Posted from npr.org
Sex
Health
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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We are at the mercy of middlemen who have the absolute power to deny you benefits. We have a massively inept system that denies doctors' health recommendations in order to make profit. An example is my provider will not provide me with a bone stimulator until AFTER surgery. As a person who has diabetes, any surgery can be problematic for wound sights. My wife was given a bone stimulator because her broken hand would not heal like my foot. The bone stimulator worked. Why was she approved, and why was I rejected?
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The GOP thinks they have the right to control women's bodies because they give birth. This should of never been a political football except the republicans crawled into bed with the Christian extremists.
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