Currently, Wisconsinites are required to visit a doctor or advanced practice nurse (APN) simply to obtain a birth control prescription. This physician- and APN-only prescription model is unnecessary and prohibitive. Doctor or APN visits for birth control prescriptions typically consist of a self-reported questionnaire about health history and a blood pressure test. Pharmacists are well-equipped to perform these services. And in many other states they already do, so that patients are no longer required to visit a doctor or APN to obtain a birth control prescription.
In the last several years, 23 states and the District of Columbia have enacted pharmacy access bills, which allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraception to women. The pharmacy access model expands the scope of practice for pharmacists and increases birth control access for women—especially those in rural areas, or those who cannot afford a visit to a doctor or APN. Importantly, the pharmacy access model is critical to preventing unintended pregnancies in Wisconsin and around the country.
The United States has high rates of unintended pregnancy, and Wisconsin is no exception. In 2010, the latest year data is available, 46 percent of pregnancies in Wisconsin were unintended, which is just above the national average; in 2011, 45 percent of pregnancies in the United States were unplanned.
Unplanned pregnancies in Wisconsin cost taxpayers millions in healthcare expenses. In 2010, the publicly funded medical expenses associated with unintended pregnancies in Wisconsin cost over $313.5 million—$92.1 million of which the state government shouldered.
