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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are reluctant to get in-person health care, for fear of being exposed to the virus or unknowingly spreading it to others. As a result, an increasing number of health care providers are offering telehealth options or are offering more services via their existing telehealth setups than they were before.
Getting sexual and reproductive health services can be…awkward. The whole process of going to the doctor, getting up on that table, and talking about your sex life can be enough to make even a seasoned sex educator blush. But luckily, there’s a way you can get your birth control and sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests without having to look another person in the face: telehealth.
You know when you go to your health care provider the first time and they make you sign that form about HIPAA? If you’re like many people, you probably didn’t take the time to read it all the way through. But HIPAA—which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—is actually a really important law that protects your privacy, among other things.
From rural America to the most urban cities, telehealth is gaining in popularity. People are getting skin conditions checked out, getting their birth control prescriptions filled, and even ordering tests for sexually transmitted infections. But because it’s such a new phenomenon, people have a lot of questions. Perhaps the biggest one? How much does it cost—and will insurance cover it?
Luckily, the internet has made it possible to access a range of sexual health services online. Not only can you now get things like condoms and pregnancy tests online, saving you a trip to the pharmacy, you can also meet with health care providers online, get prescriptions, and have medication delivered to you. Here are some options you might want to check out if getting to the doctor is tough for you (or you just dread it).