UConn installs emergency ‘Plan B’ contraception vending machines on campus
The University of Connecticut started providing Plan B through new vending machines on campus in early February following the passage of a 2023 law expanding contraception access in the state.
The state law — introduced after the overturning of Roe v. Wade — allows licensed pharmacists to prescribe contraception at pharmacies across the state following a brief training program and also permits over-the-counter medications like the emergency contraceptive Plan B to be sold in vending machines.
The law officially went into effect on Dec. 27, 2024. UConn quickly took advantage of the law and installed its first emergency contraceptive vending machine on the Storrs campus.
The training program developed by the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy launched in early February following approval from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, according to a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office. The program is entirely elective for the state’s 671 licensed pharmacies.
“This is just one of the many ways we’re working to expand access to contraception and other important medications in Connecticut. Pharmacists have continued to play a growing role in our healthcare system, from administering vaccines to dispensing Narcan and other lifesaving medications, and now prescribing birth control. They are a critical part of the healthcare network,” Lamont said in the release.
State officials argued that providing more points of care for birth control would make it easier for lower-income people to access, particularly those without a gynecologist or the ability to see one.
“There can be many barriers to going to a primary care provider for contraception — potential costs, needing to take time off work, or traveling long distances. That is why both patients and pharmacists overwhelmingly offered their support for this change,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in a press release.
Questions surrounding reimbursements for pharmacists, however, have gone unanswered. Unlike physician visits, pharmacists aren’t covered by insurance plans, so there’s no firm billing system for the prescriptions.
There are currently three bills in the Connecticut legislature aimed at addressing the insurance reimbursement uncertainty.
“The large chain stores are excited about the opportunity. The independent stores are excited about it. But right now, there is no way for pharmacists to be reimbursed for this service,” Nathan Tinker, CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, told the Yale Daily News.
UConn is the first academic institution in the state to have one of the emergency contraception vending machines.
