California joins Washington, Oregon and the District of Columbia in providing hormonal birth control without a physician's prescription after screening by the dispensing pharmacist.
SB 493 is a California law that went into effect on Friday which allows women over the age of 17 to receive birth control without a doctor’s prescription. This includes only self-administered hormonal birth control such as pills, injections, patches and vaginal rings.
Birth control methods that require a physician procedure, such as inserting an IUD, are not included in the new law. SB 493 was originally passed by state legislators in 2013, but regulatory discussions delayed its implementation until last week.Under the law, the woman must fill out a questionnaire and talk with a pharmacist before receiving birth control, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Three states now allow women to obtain birth control without a doctor visit: California, Washington and Oregon, as well as Washington, D.C. Several other states have proposed similar legislation. Most pharmacies said they are not yet ready to start dispensing, and advise potential customers to call first.
Insurance plans that pay for birth control should still provide coverage. Unclear as yet is whether or not pharmacists will charge for screening the patients to determine whether it is safe for each individual, possibly recommend a particular type of birth control method, and provide instructions on how to take it and possible side effects.
The required pharmacist involvement means that the birth control is not yet truly over-the-counter. Only the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can make that decision. However, there has been a recent proposal by federal legislation that would allow hormonal birth control to be truly over-the-counter.
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