Medical care providers support legislation expanding birth control access in Michigan

(Michigan Advance) Lawmakers in Michigan are considering more expansions in the arena of reproductive health care by taking up bills to widen who can prescribe birth control and limiting the number of visits to the pharmacy.

Pharmacists and other members of the medical community spoke Tuesday at the House Health Policy Committee in support of bills that would permit pharmacists to write prescriptions for contraceptives such as birth control pills or hormonal contraceptive patches. The legislation also seeks to require insurance companies to cover prescriptions for hormonal contraceptives written by pharmacists and also to cover 12 months worth of a prescription at once, as opposed to having to fill it once a month.

Even if you don’t take some form of birth control, most Michiganders can relate to the challenges of getting an appointment with a physician and making time to have a prescription filled, David Bright of the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists (MSCP) told lawmakers.

“Not only does House Bill 5013 offer reduced logistical hurdles through the 12 month supply issue, but transportation schedule logistics would be greatly improved if patients only had to go to a pharmacy and not also to a physician’s office,” Bright said. “While some in Michigan may not have transportation issues … we cannot overlook these as a potential challenge for some in our state, particularly in rural areas.” ...............(more)

https://michiganadvance.com/2024/03/06/medical-care-providers-support-legislation-expanding-birth-control-access-in-michigan/