Columbia University Health Services

Women’s health is an important service provided by Primary Care Medical Services (PCMS) . High quality, individualized women’s care is provided by our staff of excellent primary care providers, all of whom are experienced in women’s health and considerate of the sensitive nature of the visit. Our providers are attuned to the sexual, psychosocial, gynecologic, and body image issues that are part of providing comprehensive women’s health care.

Some of the specific services provided are:

• well-woman annual examinations
• birth control
• emergency contraception
• pregnancy evaluations
• pregnancy options counseling
• referral for prenatal care
• referral for elective termination of pregnancy (abortion)
• testing and treatment for STI’s
• management of gynecologic problems.

To schedule a visit with a PCMS provider, go to Making Appointments . For urgent concerns, you may always walk-in to our Urgent Care area, or contact the clinician-on-call after our scheduled clinical hours .

Due to changes in federal legislation in November 2007, much attention has been paid to the topic of the cost of birth control. Health Services at Columbia is committed to providing as much information as possible to clarify issues of how students may be affected.

Cost for Students on the Columbia University–Sponsored Insurance Plan
Oral contraceptives are available as part of the prescription coverage of the Aetna Student Health Plan (formerly Chickering) offered through Columbia University, which is designed to meet the basic needs of most college students. On this plan, you can fill prescriptions at any local pharmacy, and your Aetna I.D. card functions as confirmation of your coverage. No separate prescription card is needed.

The co-pay for prescription medication will depend on whether your prescribed medication is a generic or brand name drug and, for brand name drugs, whether the prescribed medication is included on Aetna ’s Preferred Drug List. The Preferred Drug List includes selected Brand Name medications for which no lower-cost alternative is available.

Your cost is determined according to a three-tier classification of prescription medications, described below:

• $5
  for Tier One (covered generic medications)
  Examples: Apri, Sprintec, Trivora
• $25
  for Tier Two (covered Brand Name medications included on the Preferred Drug List)
  Example: Seasonique
• $40
  for Tier Three (covered Brand Name medications not on the Preferred Drug List)
  Examples: Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, Alesse, Yasmin

*Note: In 2005-06 the percentage of undergraduate students on the Columbia University–Sponsored Insurance Plan was about 68%.

Cost for Students on other Insurance Plans
Insurance coverage and prescription co-pays vary widely by plan. Check with your insurance carrier for more specific information.

Questions about Insurance and Open Enrollment Period
You are welcome to come to the Insurance Office, located on the main floor of Wien Hall, at any time (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm) to ask questions about your coverage, and to discuss your options. Students interested in switching into the Columbia University-Sponsored Insurance Plan can do so during the Open Enrollment period, June 25 to September 30. To learn more about the program, see the Insurance section of our website.

Working with your Primary Care Provider
Women’s health is an important service provided by our Primary Care Providers. They dispense prescriptions for oral contraception only after personal assessments with each student. They also provide counseling and information about benefits and potential side effects, and about drug-to-drug interactions. Primary Care also offers follow-up care to monitor each student’s response to their prescribed oral contraceptive, and ensure it is the best fit for them. They can also provide information on generic options.

We Are Here to Help
Student health is our paramount concern. We encourage any student who feels his/her health is being jeopardized due to restricted access to medication or an inability to pay to talk with his/her primary care provider. We can help
strategize a solution.

The Deficit Reduction Act
While Health Services at Columbia has not been directly affected by the Deficit Reduction Act as it relates to prescription medications, we continue to support the American College Health Association in its efforts to challenge the price increase of oral contraceptives.

Other Resources
Go Ask Alice!