Contraceptive Program
The Emory University Student Health Services offers eight (8) brands of oral contraceptives at a discounted price of $31.00 per cycle pack. In addition, NuvaRing® is available at $61.00 per ring. If you are on the Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan, you will instead only pay your $10.00 co-payment for a monthly supply of pills or NuvaRing®. Any woman eligible for health care services at the Emory University Student Health Services is eligible for this program.
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE PILL BRANDS AVAILABLE: *
APRI ® (Generic DESOGEN ®)
AVIANE ™ (generic ALESSE ®)
CAMILA ™ (Progesterone-only)
CRYSELLE ™ (Generic LO/OVRAL ®)
ESTROSTEP ® Fe
JUNEL Fe ™ 1/20 (generic LO-ESTRIN ® 1/20)
JUNEL Fe ™ 1.5/30 (generic LO-ESTRIN ® 1.5/30)
PORTIA ® (Generic NORDETTE ®)
TRI-SPRINTEC ™ (generic ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN ®)
* If your present prescription is not for one of these brands, please make a family planning appointment with your EUSHS GYN Health Care Provider to discuss an appropriate substitution. Many times it is simple to find a similar substitution.
List of commonly asked questions:
What are the requirements?
You must be an eligible EUSHS patient.
An Annual GYN examination is required each year. You are allowed only one Annual GYN exam to be provided by a non-EUSHS GYN Health Care Provider, all subsequent exams must be performed at the EUSHS to participate in our birth control program.
How many pill packs may I purchase at one time?
You may purchase up to six packs at one time. An annual prescription is for 13 packs. It is important to note that oral contraceptive pills (like any other prescription medication) are not returnable by law. You may want to limit the number you purchase if this is a new medication, or you may want to limit the number if you are unsure if you will be continuing with this brand. You may only purchase pills up to the number remaining on your prescription.
How many rings may I purchase at one time?
You may purchase up to three NuvaRings® at one time. This has to do with storage requirements.
What if I have a prescription from a non-EUSHS Health Care Provider?
Contact your non-EUSHS Health Care Provider and request a copy of your current annual exam records that needs to include the PAP smear report. You may have them sent to us or you may bring them with you to your EUSHS GYN visit (sometimes called a family planning visit).
Make an appointment with your EUSHS GYN Health Care Provider for a family planning visit. Your records will be reviewed and a prescription entered into your EUSHS medical chart records. Your prescription will then be valid until your next Annual GYN examination is due.
How do I get the refills on my prescription at the EUSHS if I choose not to purchase all my pill packs at once?
We manage birth control refill requests ON LINE ONLY via Your Patient Portal:
- Go to the Student Health web site home page and click on the Your Patient Portal icon in the right upper corner.
- Select the "Messages" button, then select "New Message" and choose "Prescription Refill".
- Follow the steps requested. Select the option "EUSHS Prescription Contraception Program" as your pharmacy choice if you prefer to pick-up your pills at the Student Health Services. Pills/Ring requests are filled within 2 business days
- After your request has been processed, your pills will be held for two weeks at the checkout desk area of the EUSHS, on the second floor of the 1525 Clifton Road building.
- You must pick up the pills yourself and you must show your Emory ID card to purchase your pills.
- Payment is expected at time of pickup. You may pay with cash, check, credit card or Emorycard.
- To pick up the NuvaRing®, come to the front desk; a nurse will bring the rings out of our storage refrigerator (inside the clinic) and explain the storage requirements.
- Please note that you must pick up your prescription within 2 weeks of the date of your request. Otherwise, your prescription will be returned to stock and you will be charged a restocking fee for the nursing time needed to fill and then restock the prescription.
How much are the pills?
The pills are $31.00 per cycle pack.
If you have the Emory/Aetna Student Health Insurance, you will only pay the $10.00 co-pay per pill pack instead of $31.00! You will only pay $10.00 for a NuvaRing®.
What if I cannot pick up my pills?
Please call the MEDICAL INFORMATION LINE @ (404) 727-7551, SELECT OPTION 3 and leave a message advising our nurses to return your pills to stock since you are not able to come pick them up. This will allow for the number of packs available on your prescription to be corrected. Otherwise, you may find that your prescription has been marked as no refills remaining even though your have not actually purchased all that were available to you.
What if my Health Care Provider told me that I needed a Blood Pressure Check in order to continue my birth control? What if I am having PROBLEMS with my birth control?
You may require a review or approval by your Health Care Provider concerning your birth control, therefore call the appointment scheduling phone line at (404) 727-7551, option 1, or use the Your Patient Portal appointment request option, and schedule an appointment for a family planning follow-up visit.
If your Health Care Provider told you that you only require a blood pressure check after completing two cycles, in this situation it would be okay to schedule a nurse visit appointment.
Will I always be able to get the pills I want?
Occasionally, due to heavy demand, we may run out of some brands for a short time. For this reason, we encourage you to plan ahead - especially at the end of each semester. Since the availability of these discounted packs are at the discretion of the vendor, the type of brand may sometimes change over time as well.
Important information for students purchasing Birth Control Pill or the Ring under the Emory Student/Aetna Insurance Plan (Please note: if you are not on the Aetna Student Health Plan, you can ignore this information)
One of the excellent benefits under the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan (offered by the Aetna Student Health) is the ability to purchase prescription birth control pills/ring for a $10 co-pay per month directly from Emory Student Health Services (EUSHS). In addition, unlike retail pharmacies, EUSHS is able to dispense birth control pills several months at a time, which helps our students going home for summer break or studying abroad. However, it is important to be aware of the following:
- As with any insurance company, you are only eligible for prescription medication coverage during the months that you are covered by the insurance plan. If you graduate and/or leave the plan, the insurance company will not pay for birth control pills to be used during months after you leave the plan.
- For example, if you graduate in May and leave the insurance plan in August, the insurance plan will only pay for pills/patches you use through the month of August. If you request 6 months of pills in May, the insurance company will reject reimbursement for 3 of those pill packs.
- It is your responsibility to advise us if you are leaving the student insurance plan. We will be happy to accept your $10 co-payments for the remaining months you are covered by the plan and bill the balance to the insurance company. If you also wish to purchase pills for months after your coverage expires, you can do so for the full price ($31 for pills).
- If you request pill packs beyond your insurance coverage and the claim is rejected, EUSHS will bill you for the entire cost of the pills that were not covered via Emory Financial Services. University services (transcripts, etc.) are held until all University bills are paid.
- EUSHS continually strives to keep costs low for our students. Unpaid bills shift the burden to all Emory students, who support us via their tuition. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Revised 11/9/2009 |
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