Newsweek

Education

Should Birth Control On Campus Be Free?

Experts are discussing whether the birth-control pill should be considered preventive care under Obama’s health plan.

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If it is not a covered benefit under insurances offered from the health insurance exchanges at the state level, birth-controll pill will be Very expensive and not affordable.

I believe it should be covered benefit.  That is not free; you are still paying for coverage at the time of paying your insurance premium, you are paying to get the Rx in getting examined and gettign Rx from an Ob/Gyn, and you are paying co-pay on Rx drug coverage.  That is the healthy administered, supervised approach, which is appropriate given it is a Rx drug with some side effects, and it is not 100% fail proof although effectivenes has been on the increase.

It would be good if it is availabel to college age students for free as well to immigrants who are barely standing on their two feet (which is mostly within the first 3-4 years) free.  But they should have a way to get that medical supervision as well.  Many students and early immigrants go without medical coverage.  As a student, I did not have medical coverage except through the school infirmery for free and I recall visiting once with high fever.  After degree, as a first job holder, our medical insurance did not provide coverage for birth control - I had to pay in full, and it was a high pinch for someone who had zilch in the bank account and a heavy debt from college, and not one relative to call in the U.S., and a call out to parents in those the country in those days was $3.10 per minute (now it is 5c/minute) - you saved everything to be able to call your parents and siblings. And, you tried hard to not have a kid that would be named an "anchor baby" or become reliant on the government for anything -- yeah, it is the other side of the story you do not hear about.  Again, I hope students and early immigrants get birth control free.