The Pill Club Is Birchbox for Birth Control and We’re Here for It
Damn, y’all. Only a couple of weeks into 2017, and we’re already getting disheartening news. As part of the Obamacare repeal process underway, Planned Parenthood stands to lose its funding. The organization is overwhelmingly focused on providing vital care like wellness exams, cancer screenings, child healthcare — and birth control. Under the uncertainty of the past few months, women raced out to get an IUD, others are ordering birth control on their phones without a visit to the doctor and now there’s The Pill Club (TPC).
Founder Nick Chang calls the service “the Birchbox for birth control,” where subscribers get birth control delivered to their doorsteps in a well-designed little box. “It takes two minutes to sign up,” Nick says. You only need to fill out your personal information and tell TPC where your prescription is currently held, and they’ll move it over for you. If you have a copay, you’ll pay through TPC, just like you would at a walk-in pharmacy; if you don’t have insurance, they’ll work to get you the lowest rate available for your prescription.
Additionally, you can text TPC with questions about your prescription at any time, and they’ll get back to you the same way — no more spending your entire lunch break holding for your doctor. “It’s hard for this generation to find healthcare services that are relatable,” Nick says, pointing out that waiting in line at CVS doesn’t match how we interact with most services today. TPC is working to change that paradigm.
The delivery service itself is free to you as a subscriber: TPC earns money by billing insurance companies, Nick explains. Plus, he says while TPC is primarily a pharmacy, your monthly prescription will also come with fun samples: “other products in the reproductive health space, like natural tampons, condoms, lube — and chocolate!” The TCP box brand and aesthetic is carefully curated, Nick says, because they want women to “look forward to their delivery each month” and hope to “enrich the experience” of women’s reproductive health.
Nick says he sees TPC as a company that empowers women to make smart, safe choices about their reproductive health. And since this very tenet is already being threatened by the incoming US presidential administration, Nick says that TCP is accelerating the expansion of the prescription services they offer in some locations in addition to their delivery services. (Currently, TPC can write birth control prescriptions in California.) “We’re focused on giving access to birth control to every woman; we want our patients to feel protected.” It’s obvious that Nick is concerned about the wider implications of women’s reproductive health, and we love having someone working in solidarity with us in an otherwise uncertain time.
What do you think about getting birth control delivered to your door? Tweet us @BritandCo with your thoughts!
(Photos via The Pill Club)
