New Petition Demands U.S. Governors to Lift Telemedicine Restrictions on Birth Control As Pandemic Continues to Create Challenges to Access 

Five States – AZ, IN, NJ, NM, NV – Create Undue Burdens on Patients Seeking Asynchronous Care

More than 2,800 people have signed onto a new petition urging the Governors in five states to immediately lift telemedicine restrictions on birth control and help patients access important medication safely as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the country.

The petition, started by Carrie SiuButt, the CEO of Simple Health, an online birth control provider and prescriber specifically calls out Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV), Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-IN) for their States’ stringent limitations on asynchronous telemedicine that significantly limits access for patients in their States.

VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://bit.ly/LiftTelemedicineRestrictionsOnBirthControl

According to a June 2020 study from the Guttmacher Institute, 29% of white women, 38% of Black women, and 45% of Latinas said they were struggling to access birth control because of social distancing forcing doctors offices and pharmacies to close or limit appointments.

The petition cites Idaho Governor Brad Little, who recognized how the issue of restrictive telemedicine was impacting his constituents and signed an executive order that gives online providers the freedom to continue using expanded telehealth and Health services to patients beyond the coronavirus emergency.

Across the country, online birth control providers like Simple Health, Pandia Health and Project Ruby use asynchronous telehealth models to close the access gap. As the United States faces a physician shortage, regulation that supports asynchronous telemedicine is becoming increasingly more important as it allows practitioners to provide care to more patients than traditional, in-person models would allow.

“The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a massive wrench into an already complex healthcare system and created a new set of challenges for people who need to fill birth control prescriptions,” said Carrie SiuButt, CEO of Simple Health, an online birth control prescriber. “Because of this, patients are distressed or suffering in States like Indiana, Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico and Nevada, where telemedicine regulation is especially restrictive. Now more than ever, we need to focus on methods of  maximizing clinicians’ limited time while offering more flexibility to patients, and asynchronous telemedicine is a viable solution.”

Since the pandemic began, Simple Health has seen a massive influx of new patients, more than doubling its base since February of 2020. While purchasing birth control without insurance can be cost-prohibitive for some, Simple Health and its telemedicine model works to make the process easier and more affordable. Simple Health’s annual prescription fee is only $20, and that includes complete care for a year. Birth control itself is typically free for those with insurance, and starts at $15 dollars a month for those paying out of pocket.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SIMPLE HEALTH AND ITS BIRTH CONTROL OFFERINGS HERE: https://www.simplehealth.com/

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