With two new laws on the books, Oregon will soon lead the nation in expanding women's access to birth control. Those laws take effect Jan. 1. 
 
 "I would say Oregon is definitely at the forefront," Mara Gandal-Powers, counsel for the National Women's Law Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy group, told Reuters. 
 
 Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 2879, which makes Oregon the second state, joining California, to allow pharmacies to provide on-demand birth control pills and hormonal patches. 
 
 Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend and a physician, was the driving force behind the measure. 
 
 "Any time you propose such a new idea, there's going to be some hesitancy to make a change," Buehler said in May. "People needed time to be comfortable with the idea. It's clearly what's best for women's health in the 21st century." 
 
 It is important to note two things from the bill regarding age. It says a pharmacist may prescribe and dispense birth control if a woman is: 
 
 (a) At least 18, regardless of whether she has evidence of a previous prescription for a birth control patch or pill; 
 
 (b) Under 18, only if she has evidence of a previous prescription. 
 
 On June 11, Brown signed House Bill 3343, which makes Oregon the first state to require insurers to cover 12-month supplies of birth control, including the pill, the patch or the ring at the same time. It passed the Senate 28-0 and the House 55-2. 
 
 A 2011 study from the University of California-San Francisco found a 30 percent drop in unplanned pregnancies for women who have 12-month supplies of contraceptives instead of the typical 30- to 90-day refills many insurers currently cover. 
 
 "We were pleased to hear from several male legislators who testified that they deferred to their wives in seeking guidance on their vote," Alicia Temple, policy director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, said in a statement. "It was a clear illustration of why birth control decisions should stay between a woman and her doctor, not politicians." 
 
 -- Sue Jepsen and Denis Theriault ||||| Ken Thai, part-owner and manager of the El Monte Pharmacy Group, says he is excited about the new regulation that will allow him to directly prescribe birth control in his pharmacies in California. (Photo: Heidi de Marco, Kaiser Health News) 
 
 California and Oregon will be the first states in the nation to allow women to get birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists – without a doctor's prescription. 
 
 As California officials were busy finalizing regulations on a state law passed in 2013, Oregon's governor Kate Brown signed a similar bill into law last week. 
 
 The two measures were hailed by women's health advocates. They noted that men have long had an easier time getting birth control, simply purchasing condoms over the counter. 
 
 "We support efforts like these that remove barriers to women gaining access to birth control and other reproductive health care," said Kathy Kneer, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, in a written statement. 
 
 She added that hormonal contraception has been widely studied and shown to be safe -- "so safe that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that it be available over the counter." 
 
 The contraceptives won't be available like cough drops or antacids, however. In California, pharmacists can only dispense them after providing a health screening to women and taking their blood pressure. Oregon will also require a health screening, but the state's specific rules haven't been developed. 
 
 The laws differ somewhat. California's law has no age restrictions on patients – minors have the same access as adults. In Oregon, pharmacists may only give new birth control prescriptions to women 18 or older. Women under 18 must show proof of prior birth control prescriptions from a physician. Also, Oregon likely will require pharmacists to undergo more training than the one hour of education required of California pharmacists, said Marcus Watt, executive director of the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy. 
 
 California's rules are expected to take effect after Oct 1 and Oregon's law after Jan. 1. 
 
 Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health think tank, said other states could end up following California's and Oregon's approaches, depending on how they work. 
 
 "A lot of eyes are watching what's going to happen next," she said. 
 
 The laws moved ahead despite partisan debate in Congress over access to birth control. There, members of both parties support legislation allowing over-the-counter access – without any prescription -- but Republican legislation would not require insurers to pay for it. 
 
 California and Oregon will allow hormonal contraceptives without a doctor’s prescription. (Photo: Heidi de Marco, Kaiser Health News) 
 
 Democrats say that is an attempt to get around requirements to cover prescription birth control under the Affordable Care Act and would effectively make hormonal contraceptives off limits to many poor women. They have introduced a bill that would require insurance coverage of over-the-counter hormonal contraceptives. 
 
 California's regulations and Oregon's law do not address insurance coverage of birth control. But California's pharmacists have voiced concerns that insurers won't pay for time spent screening women and dispensing birth control, as they would for a doctor's visit. 
 
 Pharmacists in California say they are preparing for the new regulations and hoping to resolve the reimbursement issue. It has taken nearly two years to develop regulations implementing California's 2013 law, which also allows pharmacists to prescribe other medications that once required a doctor's prescription, including travel medicines, smoking cessation treatments and the opioid overdose antidote naloxone. 
 
 The overall expansion of pharmacists' prescribing authority is aimed at relieving the burden on physicians faced with an influx of patients newly insured under the Affordable Care Act. 
 
 "Honestly, we're really excited," said Ken Thai, part-owner and manager of the El Monte Pharmacy Group, with 10 stores in Southern California. "Medical clinics in the area are overflowing, with long wait times. We're already doing other services like immunizations and cholesterol checks, and our customers already see us as a resource. We're ready for something like this. It's been a long time coming." 
 
 Until now, California pharmacists could only provide emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill," without a doctor's prescription. 
 
 Most major pharmacy chains will likely participate in offering non-prescription birth control because they were involved in developing the protocols, said Virginia Herold, executive officer of the California State Board of Pharmacy. 
 
 Representatives from CVS, Walgreens and Costco would not confirm their chains' participation, either declining to comment or saying that they are awaiting the final regulations. 
 
 Some patients welcomed the change – glad for the convenience, if nothing else. 
 
 "I think it's really wonderful," said 26-year-old Anne Wong, who lives in San Francisco. "It's a drag to have to go to clinic and talk to the doctor to get birth control pills – it takes a chunk out of your day." 
 
 Wong, who at age 17 emigrated with her family from Thailand, said the new access would help women in her community practice safer sex. The topic "is still taboo," Wong said. 
 
 But with the new regulations, "I could just tell my parents I'm going to a store for something. All I'd need to do is just walk to the Walgreens near my house." 
 
 Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1ITa8lG ||||| California Law To Allow Pharmacists To Prescribe Birth Control 
 
 Pharmacists in California will soon be able to prescribe birth control. While some doctors' groups are skeptical, lawmakers say pharmacists can fill a need for primary care providers, especially in rural areas. 
 
 AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: 
 
 In California, women will soon be able to get birth control without seeing a doctor. That's under a new state law that grants expanded authority to pharmacists. April Dembosky of member station KQED explains the law could start going into effect as soon as the fall. 
 
 APRIL DEMBOSKY, BYLINE: Think of how often you stop by your local drugstore. You run in and grab some BAND-AIDs, maybe get a flu shot on your way to work. Soon, it will be that easy for women in California to get birth control. 
 
 LISA KROON: Drop-off and pickup is here. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: Lisa Kroon is a professor at UC San Francisco's School of Pharmacy and overseas students who work at this Walgreens store on campus. It will be one of the first to take advantage of a new law in California allowing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception, including the pill, the ring and the patch. 
 
 KROON: For a woman who might need a refill, can't get in to see their doctor, the pharmacist will be able to furnish that for them now. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: The law goes way beyond birth control pills. It also authorizes pharmacists to provide medications for smoking cessation and travel abroad. They can even order lab tests and adjust drug regimens for patients with diabetes or hypertension. Kroon says the idea is to make it easier on patients. 
 
 KROON: Maybe a working parent can now come after work because the pharmacy is open later. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: The law was passed amidst growing concern about lack of access to primary care providers. That's with baby boomers hitting 65 and getting Medicare. At the same time, millions of people are also now getting health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Kroon says California is one of the first states to recognize that pharmacists can help address the need. 
 
 KROON: The pharmacist is really an untapped resource. We are graduating students that are ready for this, but the laws just haven't kept up with what the pharmacist training already is. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: But pharmacists' growing power make some doctors uncomfortable. The California Medical Association originally opposed the bill, citing patient safety concerns. It withdrew its opposition after lawmakers added a special licensing procedure and continuing education requirement for pharmacists. Still, some doctors are concerned that if women don't come to the clinic for their birth control, they won't get screened for cervical cancer or tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Amy Moy is with the California Family Health Council. 
 
 AMY MOY: Family planning for women is often an access point to assessing other health issues. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: Her group helps support the law with caveats. 
 
 MOY: Women accessing birth control through the pharmacist would be faster because - and more convenient in some cases, but they will also not have the more comprehensive care available in another health care setting. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: Still, she says the benefits of reducing unplanned pregnancies outweigh the potential downfalls. And pharmacy professor Lisa Kroon says the plan is for pharmacists to communicate regularly with patients' doctors. 
 
 KROON: We are not a lone ranger out there doing something. 
 
 DEMBOSKY: Other states are watching California to see how the law is implemented. Oregon is considering a similar measure. For NPR News, I'm April Dembosky in San Francisco. 
 
 CORNISH: This story is part of a reporting partnership of NPR, KQED and Kaiser Health News. 
 
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– Women in Oregon and California will be the first to walk into a drug store and order birth control pills right from the pharmacist—no prescription needed. Oregon's bill was signed into law last week and California's, passed two years ago, is being fine-tuned into regulations by state officials, USA Today reports. The laws also allow pharmacists to dispense other hormonal contraceptives without a prescription. Women's health advocates applauded the move: "We were pleased to hear from several male legislators who testified that they deferred to their wives in seeking guidance on their vote," says an official at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, per the Oregonian. "[It shows why] birth control decisions should stay between a woman and her doctor, not politicians." Another beneficiary is physicians burdened by long lines of patients, like Americans now insured by ObamaCare and Baby Boomers getting Medicare as they turn 65, NPR reports. But it's no quickie trip to the drug store: Pharmacists will still have to give women health screenings before dispensing the contraception. The laws—which should kick in by October 1 in California and after New Year's in Oregon—arrive as the US Congress is debating birth-control access. Both parties agree to the no-prescription idea, but Republicans don't want insurers footing the bill. Democrats say that would keep many women in poverty from getting birth control. Neither the Oregon nor California laws consider the question of insurance coverage. (See why Oregon women can stock up on the birth-control patch.)