Morning After Pill Cost

• For patients not covered by health insurance, the morning after pill typically costs between $10 and $70, according to Planned Parenthood.
• For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket expenses typically consist of a prescription drug copay of $10 to $30.
• The morning after pill is sometimes covered by health insurance. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 25 states require insurance plans that cover prescription drugs in general to cover birth control, including emergency contraception.

• Planned Parenthood has an overview of the morning after pill.
• The morning after pill actually is a combination of pills that use higher doses of the hormones in birth control pills, estrogen and progestin.
• The morning-after pill works in several ways. It can prevent a woman from ovulating, thicken cervical mucus to block sperm and possibly prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. It does not terminate an already-existing pregnancy.
• According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the morning after pill is very effective at preventing pregnancy after unprotected sex.

• For patients under 18, a prescription is required, except in Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington. To get a prescription, a doctor visit typically costs between $35 and $250.

• Some family planning clinics provide low-cost or free emergency contraception to women who qualify. Occasionally, local Planned Parenthood clinics across the United States have "Free EC Day," where they offer free emergency contraception, encouraging women to get it before they need it.

• The morning after pill is usually available behind-the-counter at drug stores for adults 17 and older. The Emergency Contraceptive Website, operated the Office of Population Research and the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, offers a pharmacy locator, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers a local clinic locator
• The morning after pill also is available for patients 17 and older at any Planned Parenthood clinic
• Because the morning after pill is more effective the sooner it is taken, Planned Parenthood recommends that sexually active women who do not want to become pregnant get the morning after pill before it is needed.
• The morning after pill generally is considered safe, even for women such as smokers over age 35 who probably would be advised not to take birth control pills regularly, and no deaths have been linked to it. However, side effects can include nausea, breast tenderness, dizziness, headaches and irregular bleeding.

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