I
came from a family where we were raised with the
wait until marriage, none of that stuff, don’t even
think about it,” LSA senior Emma Cheff began,
responding to the question of why she sought out prescribed
birth control.
“And so, I didn’t really know how to get birth control. I
didn’t know how it works — honestly, I didn’t know anything
until I had to go through Relationship Remix, which was
really sad.”
Her junior year, Cheff began the process of figuring out how
to access birth control. If she relied on her parents’ insurance,
the bills would immediately disclose the prescription, but
paying for the contraception out of pocket was not an option.
“I’m first gen,” Cheff said. “My family doesn’t make a lot
of money. I’m working to pay through school. I don’t have
money to pay for birth control every month.”
Luckily, through much research, Cheff learned she could
access birth control and stay on her parents’ insurance by
having the billing information sent to her instead of her
parents. She then consulted with University Health Service
medical professionals to find the birth control that worked
best for her.
Contraception is widely used on the University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor campus. According to the 2018
National College Health Assessment administered by UHS,
87 percent of students used some sort of contraception
during their most recent vaginal intercourse. The usage of
long-acting reversible contraception such as the intrauterine
device and the implant, which are considered most effective
due to their long-lasting and user-independent nature, are
increasing steadily. In 2014, 10 percent of students used
LARC during their last intercourse. This rose to 23 percent
in 2018.
UHS is constantly striving to make
contraception available to students,
as well as to help students find
what’s right for them. They recently
implemented video visits as an option
for contraception consultations. For
students who have questions about
health insurance, they have a Managed
Care/Student Insurance Office.
And yet, the barriers remain. Students face financial,
educational and cultural obstacles, stigmas about their
sexualities and gender identities and concerns about birth
control impacting their mental health. Each student has
their own story — their own “unique mix of barriers,” as
UHS health educator Laura McAndrew put it. How can UHS
maximize support for all these students?
“I don’t have money to pay for birth control
every month”
S
tudent 1, a Kinesiology junior who requested
anonymity as she did not wish to publicly come out
as queer, found herself in a bind last summer when
her health insurance suddenly stopped covering her.
As a person from a low-income background, Student 1
was covered by Medicaid. But due to a glitch in the system,
her insurance wasn’t working. She had a birth control
prescription from UHS, but without health insurance, she
would have to pay out of pocket.
“I was trying to find places that were the cheapest that I
could buy for because $20 to me is a lot of money,” Student
1 said. “Whereas I know to some of my friends and family
members, it’s just a drop in the bucket. But for me, the first
prescription that I was on was $70 out of pocket per month,
which is absurd.”
Ultimately, she managed to scrape together enough money
to purchase the student health insurance plan. The first
thing she did was switch to an IUD, so she would not have to
pay for birth control consistently.
“I switched to an IUD because I don’t have to pay for it
month after month after month,” Student 1 said. “So now I’m
baby-free for the next five years, hopefully.”
McAndrew said UHS tries to tackle the financial barrier
in a few ways. The costs of different contraceptive methods
are on the UHS website, and McAndrew said students are
welcome to visit her or other Wolverine Wellness staff to
think through their options. If students have concerns about
using their family’s insurance plan, UHS can put information
about that in their after-visit summary. McAndrew further
encouraged students without health insurance to visit the
Managed Care Office.
Susan Ernst, chief of gynecological services at UHS, said
one option they point patients toward is accessing birth
control pills from local pharmacies, many of which have
steep discounts.
Another challenge is figuring out loopholes to get
insurance companies to pay for contraception, Ernst said.
She said sometimes insurance companies will pay for IUDs
if they’re billed through the UHS pharmacy rather than
their medical office.
If none of these options work, Ernst said they will refer
students to Planned Parenthood, which offers contraception
on a sliding price scale based on income. This is best for
students who want an IUD or implant, she said.
“So, some of our students who have absolutely no income,
they can get the IUD for pretty cheap,” Ernst said.
McAndrew emphasized UHS is always looking for ways to
improve their system.
“We know that this doesn’t account for all circumstances,”
McAndrew said. “I would really welcome ideas about how to
better support students with the cost barrier, because I think
it’s really important.”
“It’s very much taboo to talk about any sort
of sexual, reproductive birth control”
R
ackham student Jess Hernandez first went on birth
control as an undergraduate at Michigan State
University. She said as a Mexican American, birth
control was a taboo topic in her household.
“I identify as Mexican American, and so, in our culture,
it’s very much taboo to talk about any sort of sexual,
reproductive birth control,” Hernandez said.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 // The Statement
4B
5B
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 // The Statement
See BARRIER, Page 6B
“A unique mix of
barriers”: What
stands in the way
of students getting
birth control?
BY ELIZABETH LAWRENCE,
MANAGING NEWS EDITOR
ILLUSTRATION BY MAGGIE WIEBE
–––
SEX
SURVEY
DATA ANALYSIS BY PARTH DHYANI, ALEX
COTIGNOLA AND TIM CHO, WEB DEVELOPERS
The Michigan Daily conducted
their annual sex survey, which
was completed by a total of 592
undergraduate students across
colleges at the University, to
gauge knowledge and habits
regarding sex. 39.4 percent of
respondents identified as male,
58.9 percent identified as
female, 1.3 percent identified
as non-binary, and less than 1
percent identified as other.
The Daily was particularly
interested in examining usage,
knowledge and impressions
behind
contraceptives,
in
context of the role that the
University plays in providing
resources
and
information
about contraceptives. Check
out the results below!