Ridiculous Cost for Mirena - Any Thoughts?

I used PPH as a younger person...it also was in a less than ideal part of town but I had no complaints...it was clean and friendly.

Planned parenthood is wonderful. They do so much amazing work keeping women from getting pregnant, so little of what they do is abortion related. If they will do it for $500, go there.

BTW, I cannot believe that your regular doctor would consider charging you that much. Surely the office visit would be covered by insurance, and so they'd be charging you two grand for a teeny little plastic thing. Outrageous.

Good luck.

edit: I'm so glad that there are so many great women on this site who support planned parenthood. This is NOT my post nor the reason for the post, but please please please call your senator and reps and tell them that you support funding for planned parenthood. It has been seriously under fire recently, and I think that the folks in government need to hear that women need the kind of services that PP is providing. Hopefully we're past the days of feeling like women should end up barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen!

Boy, do I have thoughts. Welcome to the world of the under-insured. I've had very costly private insurance for 24 years just so I won't become a public burden if I get an expensive illness, but they pay for nothing until I've topped $7000 out-of-pocket per year. Needless to say, I struggle to pay the absurd rates for any and every procedure I need ($180-$240 for just the office visit), and part of the reason costs are so high is because medical equipment, providers, and drugmakers get to charge just about anything they want because most recipients who have good insurance coverage have no idea how expensive everything has become.

OK, rant aside, Planned Parenthood is excellent. Their doctors specialize in fertility and pregnancy issues and are up-to-the-minute on birth control options. It may not be fancy, but you will get exactly the care you need. I used their services many years ago – it was the only place where I could get birth control pills that I could actually afford. I've known a number of very nice women since who get their birth control through PP. No complaints.

I have received birth control and paps through their clinics and have had positive experiences only. I actually preferred their service to a few of the private gynecologists I have seen (including the doctor who placed my IUD). I have a few friends who did have their IUDs inserted by PP and they have been very happy with the results.

Also...

I want to second Jane's Edit.

Planned Parenthood is a FANTASTIC asset to our local communities. It is imperative that they continue to receive federal funding. The reproductive health of our low income / under insured men and women depends on it. The services they provide are invaluable - from birth control to screening for cervical cancer. I think it wise to also bring up that the Hyde amendment currently prohibits the use of Federal funding for abortions.

When I was younger, I appreciated Planned Parenthood firsthand. The clinics are often in the parts of town they might be most needed in, and my experience of their services was excellent. I sometimes think services that are provided for lower-income/under-insured persons are believed to be 'lesser'. That was not my experience of PPH. They actually 'caught' a cyst on my ovary, during a routine exam. My mother was pretty negligent in getting her children age-appropriate health care (or on insurance) and so I didn't know anything about annual exams or routine gynecological care. They kindly got me up to speed. I think they are a great resource for anyone who has a need for it.

If it is going to save you $1700, my suggestion would be to just go for it. You can always leave if you aren't feeling comfortable with the doctor beforehand.

Here is what I think. I think it is shameful that insurance companies will cover Viagra, but will not cover the cost of Birth control.

Women have a right to be protected from getting pregnant. Many cannot afford birth control, much less a child or children. Stepping off my soap box.

FYI, Planned Parenthood will be great. They are professional, clean and really , really care about their patients.

Only been to PlannedParenthood once, at 17 for birth control pills. Not a good part of the city either, but inside it was clean and nice. Had a pelvic exam done while there since I'd never had one. Of course, I've since had many lol. The dr. was very nice and I had no complaints.....

I used to go to PPH when i was younger for the depo shot and exams. mine was also in a "bad" part of town, but the staff was awsome and the inside was surprisingly clean (I was scared at first, I went in thinking if it turned out bad I could always turn around and run out the door :) ) Just remember that you can always turn and run the other way, but why not check it out if it could save you that much money you might be surprised or you could get what you were expecting in which RUN lol Good Luck

I personally haven't dealt with planned parenthood. But, a close friend of mine works there, as a birth control consultant. She has suggested that I go there for the mirena as well. I know that at her center, they are all registered, licensed, certified, etc. doctors. They are just as qualified at inserting the IUD as your regular dr, just cheaper!

I've used PP a long time ago. LOVED that place. Nice people and really good doctors. Go talk to them, I bet you'll be really surprised.

I have the paragard iud and my private doc charged in the upper 3000 to get it put in there. I went to planned parenthood and it was. Cost about 800. I too wasn't sure about about the clinic feel of it but it wasn't that way at all. It was very clean and they were very nice. Go check it out before you get in that mind set. You may be surprised!

Planned parenthood should be okay ... check with your state's website, but in Michigan, there is a group that helps families with birth control, Mirena is one of those. I'm having mine removed a year early ... I stopped having periods right after it was inserted, but when my husband and I split up, I started having periods again for a few months, and now, I've stopped having them. It's a bit annoying and I get paranoid easily. lol

As for the cost, your doctor's office might let you do a payment plan. Look at it this way for a minute, the pill usually costs about 30/month. That's 360 a year, multiply that by 5 and you're spending 1800. However, that being said, according to the website for Mirena, your doctor's office is over charging you big time. http://www.mirena-us.com/get_mirena/healthcare_plan_cover...

Hope that helps!

I would recommend it. But do this first, add up the cost of the monthly pill and see what it runs you over the course of 5 years. Might be about the same. Also the fact that you don't have to think about it for five years too. :)

Yeah it's a ridiculous cost for a piece of plastic. Granted a very fancy piece. I haven't heard of anything negative from a Planned Parenthood. I would check them out before fully judging. If you were here in Utah County, you could go to the brand new PPH. It's an amazing looking building.

Speaking from someone who has no insurance and hasn't for a decade...I used planned parenthood once about 6 years ago. While the care I received was OK, it was how they handled a few calls while I was there, that bothered me. A girl called about information for adoption and the nurse literally told her to come in and they'd give her a pamphlet get and go ahead and schedule and abortion. She literally said, "You are young and an abortion is more appropriate then adoption. Come in and you can have a pamphlet and we'll call and schedule the abortion at our surgical facility." There was another similar call. Awesome.

OK...I go totally off point. If you are worried about care, it shouldn't be a problem. I was treated much better by my OB when I was pregnant...but the lady I saw at PP was acceptable. Other then the Dr. accusing me of lying about not having sex, she did actually do the physical exam just fine. Their credentials are really any different then any other OB, and they can put the Mirena in just as well.

Please read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. You can use the fertility awareness method and avoid getting pregnant very easily. So easily, in fact, I'm amazed that women are still out there paying big pharma big bucks for birth control. I don't have any experience with PP, but they don't have a very good reputation on several fronts... ....as you might infer from the locale of your local clinic.... google "planned parenthood undercover sting"