More women seek birth control to last as long as Trump's term

ST. LOUIS – Angelica Thompson was working part time and earning her college degree in genetics when she got a serious boyfriend. Thompson sought care at the campus health clinic, where she chose a hormone implant under her skin that prevents pregnancy for up to three years.

Able to stay on her mother's insurance plan, she paid nothing for the implant, which can cost up to $800.

Now 23 and saving money for nursing school while working at Starbucks, Thompson replaced the implant — two months ahead of schedule — because she's unsure what changes lie ahead for her health care after Donald Trump is inaugurated as president Jan. 20.

Thompson said the new implant should last as long as Trump's term.

"The idea of 'we'll wait and see' is disconcerting to a lot of women," she said. "My partner and I, we are 23 years old. We are not ready to have a child. We have professional goals we want to accomplish."

During his campaign, Trump promised to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, which uses subsidies to help the poor get health insurance. The legislation mandates coverage for preventive health care such as cancer screenings, Pap tests, mammograms and birth control with no out-of-pocket costs.

Republican legislators have said repealing the Affordable Care Act will be among the first priorities after Tuesday, the first day of the new Congress.

Intrauterine devices and hormonal implants under the skin are the most effective forms of reversible birth control, with just a 1 percent failure rate. But the devices along with the insertion procedures can cost as much as $1,000.

The devices are long-acting — IUDs can last up to 10 years — and can be the best option for women who are done having children or not ready to start a family for several years.

The high cost and uncertain future has prompted Thompson and other women to get the long-acting options now.

At the eight Planned Parenthood clinics in the St. Louis and southwest Missouri region, calls jumped 60 percent in the past few weeks of November, compared with the weeks before the election, said affiliate president Mary Kogut.

"People right now are feeling a little anxious about whether there will be insurance coverage and what it will cover, so they are making appointments right now to get in," Kogut said.

The day after the election, clinics nationwide saw a 957 percent increase in appointments booked online to get long-acting contraception, compared to the average number of daily appointments for the previous month. The appointments have leveled off but remain an average 128 percent higher than the month before the election, Kogut said.

Dr. Denise Willers, medical director for the Women and Infant Care Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, said she hears concerns. "Providers are apprehensive and patients are apprehensive," she said, "and I think we all are waiting to see what happens."

Thompson said she doesn't want to wait. Birth control pills are not safe to take with her heart condition, and condoms are too risky.