The University of Connecticut has deployed vending machines on campus with emergency contraception plan B to expand access to birth control.
The university is the first institution in the state to install these vending machines, offering plan B to students at a low cost. The vending machines were placed on campus at the beginning of the month.
UConn's pharmacies also offer programs to train pharmacists across the state to stipulate birth control. The program was launched after it was approved by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. The program is an option for state licensed pharmacies.
This comes after the law was passed in 2023 to expand state birth control access. The law came into effect on December 27, 2024.
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A “morning” pill carton, located underground in the Student Union building on the Boston University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 26, 2022, fills the Plan B vending machine. (Getty Images)
The law allows licensed pharmacists to provide for birth control at pharmacies throughout the state after a short training program. Over-the-counter drugs such as Plan B can also be sold at vending machines.
“This is just one of many ways we are working to expand access to birth control and other important medications in Connecticut,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a press release. “Pharmacists continue to grow in our healthcare system, from administering vaccines to dispensing Narcan and other life-saving drugs, to prescribing birth control. They are an important part of our healthcare network.”
State officials argue that expanding access to birth control will benefit many people, including those with low incomes.
Plan B One Step Emergency Contraception Box will be available in New York on April 5, 2013. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
“There are many barriers to going to a primary care provider for birth control. There are potential costs, you need to take time off work, you need to travel long distances,” Lt. Col. Susan Bissiwitz said in the release. Ta. “That's why both patients and pharmacists have overwhelmingly provided support for this change. Everyone should have safe and reliable access to contraceptives.”
Currently, there is no established refund structure in the state of pharmacists that stipulate contraception. Unlike doctor visits, pharmacists are not covered by insurance plans and do not have a prescription claim mechanism.
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On July 7, 2022, security packages at CVS pharmacy in Washington will feature the package of Planb One Step, an emergency contraceptive. (Reuters/Sarasilviger)
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“Large chains are excited about the opportunity, and independent stores are excited about that,” Nathan Tinker, CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, told Yale Daily News. “However, for now there is no way for pharmacists to be refunded for this service.”
Three bills have been introduced into the state legislature to address questions about pharmacists' refunds.
