California & Oregon Pharmacy Update: Pharmacists and Birth Control

In 2016, groundbreaking laws in California and Oregon will allow women to obtain hormonal contraceptive pills, patches and rings directly from pharmacists without a doctor’s prescription — a change many say is more convenient and likely a less expensive option than going to the doctor.

Presently, a doctor’s prescription for hormonal contraceptive products is required, but over the next few months, pharmacists in Oregon and California will be authorized to prescribe contraceptives after a quick screening process where women fill out a questionnaire about their health and medical histories.

As noted on the Baer Law Blog previously,  Oregon and California laws differ in that California’s law has no age restriction, whereas Oregon law requires teenagers under 18 obtain their first contraceptive prescription from a doctor. Also, California pharmacists will likely have to take a women’s blood pressure if filling a contraceptive containing estrogen.

Advocates of the new law, including some pharmacists’ organizations and reproductive health experts, plan to actively lobby for a nationwide change, provided they can be assured that pharmacists can safely dispense contraception without a doctor’s prescription and that women’s health risks can be can be safely and accurately assessed via questionnaires.

As the role of the pharmacist continues to expand and the strong push to recognize pharmacists as health care providers continues, a big unanswered question is whether insurers will pay for the time pharmacists spend reviewing the health questionnaires to ensure all patient safety issues are appropriately addressed.

Stay tuned to the Baer Law Blog for more updates.