PP was a wonderful option for me when I was 20 and without insurance. I had just started a new job and still had 2 months to go before I got any coverage. I was having some concerns about my reproductive system so I called them. I was able to get a complete exam for $10 (less than the office copay for my insurance turned out to be). When my PAP came back positive for HPV, they gave me counseling on what that meant and then they scheduled me for another, more extensive exam. They priced my copay for the exam based on my income so a test which could have cost me hundreds of dollars ended up only being $75.
So, for a total of $85, I got two very good exams and a lot of education on HPV. It turned out that I didn’t actually have the virus but for 3 years after that experience, I visited PP for followup PAPs every 6 months. They also became my birth control supplier when I found out my insurance didn’t cover it. They never once mentioned abortion to me and they only even mentioned the birth control because I asked about it.
I have never had a doctor make me feel as welcome and safe as the PP nurses and doctor did. I will be forever grateful for them supplying affordable medical care to those of us without coverage.
Now that I again have insurance which doesn’t cover birth control (and yes the bastards do cover Viagra - WTF is up with that shit?), I have considered going back to PP. But, I can afford the pills now and I feel that I’d be abusing their services now that I make much better money.
I overpay for my visits, paying the same I would with my insurance. I don’t have a copay, so it’s all deductible for me. I’d rather give it to PP than have it go to my deductible (OK, actually I do about half. PP would charge me about $15, going rate in our area is about $150, so I pay PP $80 and feel like we all win). But if you’re on a co-pay plan, it wouldn’t affect you at all to pay them your co-pay rate, or even a little more if you can afford it, even if they’d be willing to do it for less.