Reproductive and sexual health is essential. So crucial that you should never have to go without it due to its associated costs.
You can expect information on Planned Parenthood’s services, the health insurance providers accepted, and how to get health insurance if you don’t have one. You will also know about charges you may incur using Planned Parenthood’s services, the procedures surrounding health insurance usage, and more.
Planned Parenthood accepts most health insurance plans. Whether you have a privately funded insurance, Medical, or employee provided plan doesn't matter. Planned Parenthood will also accept Medicaid or Medicare if you're on a secondary plan. Some of the commercial providers accepted include Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, AmeriHealth, and EmblemHealth.
This information was collated using reliable sources such as the Federal Marketplace Healthcare.gov, Planned Parenthood, and several health insurance providers. This article is filled with accurate information at the time of writing.
What is Planned Parenthood?
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc is a non-profit organization that offers reproductive healthcare in the US and worldwide.
One of their primary goals is to provide expert and high-quality health care using experienced nurses, educators, and doctors to every member of the community. In the United States, there are over 54 unique and locally operated Planned Parenthood affiliates that have over 600 health centers under them.
Most of the services offered by Planned Parenthood are preventive in nature: this care that aids the prevention of unintended pregnancies using sex education and birth control, lowering the spread of STDs using testing and treatment.
How Is Planned Parenthood Funded?
Planned Parenthood’s funding comes from a variety of sources such as grants, health services, and government reimbursements (36%), revenue from non-governmental health services (23%), and miscellaneous sources (4%).
The above percentages come from the 2018-2019 yearly report published by Planned Parenthood. Tax money, by law, doesn’t fund abortions. However, that money is fungible. This means that when an entity has a large sum of money, it can move funds around to pay for whatever it requires.
Planned Parenthood receives around $60 million annually, enabling it to spread the money to whatever program it wants.
What Exactly Does Planned Parenthood Do?
Planned Parenthood provides a vast array of services related to women’s mental, reproductive and physical health. Here are a couple of the services Planned Parenthood offers:
- Primary care services: these services include diagnostic care and routine checkups, as well as referrals to non-Planned Parenthood doctors
- Cancer prevention and screening: this also includes breast, ovarian and cervical screenings. Planned Parenthood provides HPV vaccines, which can be used to prevent cervical cancer.
- Contraception: there are many birth control choices, from intrauterine devices and patches to pills offered by Planned Parenthood. Additionally, it provides emergency contraception and has worked tirelessly to ensure birth control is more affordable and accessible to all.
- STD Testing and Treatment: most centers offer these services, which help them diagnose, treat and prevent STDs. Some rural locations are being tested by Planned Parenthood, which will enable patients to see a doctor electronically via video calls before an STD test or birth control kit is sent via mail.
- Education: this service includes the education of young adults, teens, and parents on reproductive and sexual health and safety. Planned Parenthood organizes several sex education programs to ensure that teens and young adults are educated.
- Men’s Sexual Health: this service is available in most Planned Parenthood centers to provide sexual health services for men.
How Does Planned Parenthood Charge For Its Services?
Planned Parenthood provides the bulk of its services using a sliding scale. This means that it utilizes a snapshot of your finance for a few weeks to develop a pay scale that seems fair to your financial situation.
This scale varies by geography. However, it ensures that Planned Parenthood can provide cheap and free services to individuals that require them the most.
Your state of residence typically determines how much aid you get and what form you may get from Plant Parenthood.
For example, In New York, the state’s Medicaid program pays fully for STD testing, birth control, pregnancy tests, gynecology exams, and PAP tests for individuals with an income up to 200% of FPL or federal poverty level.
What Health Insurance Providers Does Planned Parenthood Accept?
Planned Parenthood accepts several major health insurance providers. Usually, you will need to present your valid insurance card and put down your copayment when you visit any of the Planned Parenthood centers.
Planned Parenthood works to ensure healthcare is both affordable and accessible. To this end, they accept a wide range of payment methods and insurance plans.
These centers also work with programs at the state and federal levels to lower healthcare costs for those who qualify.
A few of the commercial health insurance policies and services Planned Parenthood accepts are:
- AmeriHealth
- Aetna
- Independence Blue Cross
- Emblem Health
- Cigna
- United HealthCare
- Oxford: Exceptions Oxford Encompass and Oxford Garden State
- United HealthCare Student Resources
- Trillium
- Yamhill
- Oscar
- QualCare: Excluding inner circle policies that have an employer listed on the insurance card.
- OHP
- MODA
- HMA
- Multiplan Network
- First Choice
- PacificSource
- Columbia Pacific
- Jackson Care Connect
- Allcare
- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield: Exception (federal plans with R- ID plans do not cover abortion services)
Planned Parenthood also accepts Medicaid health insurance plans. A few of these accepted plans are:
- Amerigroup
- Aetna Better Health
- Health First
- Wellcare
- Horizon NJ Health
- Medicaid
- United HealthCare Community Plan
Planned Parenthood also accepts Medicare if your secondary plan is listed among those above.
What Planned Parenthood Services Does The Accepted Health Insurance Cover?
Health insurance plans accepted by Planned Parenthood cover STD testing, treatments, birth control methods, lab tests, and regular exams. It might be necessary for you to fully cover abortion and vasectomy services.
How Can I Pay For Planned Parenthood If I Don’t Have Health Insurance?
There are bespoke Planned Parenthood health insurance plans made available to individuals that meet a particular financial threshold. The availability of these plans depends on the Planned Parenthood location you visit.
The coverage of this health insurance typically lasts for a year. The coverage is reviewed if your income significantly increases. Additionally, suppose the plan has gone on for longer than a year. In that case, it will be necessary to present current variants of the required documents (pay stubs, tax information) on the next visit.
Emergency Medicaid can be used to provide cover for an abortion. However, it is important to note that the coverage is valid for 45 days from sign up. There are cases where said coverage can be approved for longer.
Can Emergency Medicaid Be Used To Get A Planned Parenthood Specific Health Insurance Plan?
Suppose you previously registered for Emergency Medicaid, or perhaps, began application without all of the necessary information. In that case, all the required documents should be taken with you to any approved center to finish your application.
What Else Can I Use My Planned Parenthood Specific Health Insurance Policy?
Generally, Planned Parenthood health insurance policies enable you to use the coverage for birth control, and health center visits when you finish your application. However, other facilities such as pharmacies use a DSS or decision support system to review and analyze your application before accepting the coverage.
Once this is done, a card is mailed to you, enabling you to have coverage at a pharmacy and other medical centers that recognize Planned Parenthood specific health insurance plans.
Do I Have To Take My Health Insurance Card With Me To Every Planned Parenthood Visit?
Yes, you will have to. It doesn’t matter if your current health insurance policy is one you have used with Planned Parenthood, your information could change, and it has to be compared to what the center has on file. It’s also imperative that you take a form of identification with you.
I Don’t Have Health Insurance, What Do I Do?
You can get health insurance coverage by heading over to a state or federal marketplace. Healthcare.gov is the federal marketplace that allows you to sign up for coverage directly.
Depending on if your state of residence has a marketplace, you might also be redirected there. You can sign up for health insurance coverage in person at a health insurance broker or agent.
Can I Use Medicaid Or Any Other Low-Cost Health Insurance Program?
You may qualify for free or low-cost health insurance coverage via CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or Medicaid. This generally depends on your income level as well as your state of residence.
If you qualify for any program, you don’t have to wait for an enrollment period. You can simply enroll at any time. To know if you are eligible, you will have to visit your state’s CHIP or Medicaid agency.
You can use the Federal Healthcare.gov marketplace to find out your eligibility. You can also use it to apply for coverage. Nevertheless, you should note that Healthcare.gov does not notify eligibility for Medicaid programs that solely cover family planning services.
You will have to visit the Medicaid agency in your state to find out your eligibility.
