Why Are Teen Clinic Services So... Free?

Why Are Teen Clinic Services So… free?

You hear it over and over again – Teen Clinic services are “free and confidential”. Well, why? And what does that really mean?

Free = No Co-Pay, No Bills.    

If you live in California, and don’t make very much money, your visit to the Teen Clinic is paid for by an insurance program called FamilyPACT – which is from the state of California, or the U.S. government. They believe that your health is super important, and they WANT you to get services like STI testing, STI treatment, birth control, and pregnancy testing.  

When you walk in the clinic, the person at the front desk will hand you a clipboard with a one page application on it. You fill in your details (name, birth date, zip code, state/country you were born in, monthly income, phone #, address, # of ppl in your household), they sign you up for FamilyPACT on the computer, and hand you a blue card that is proof that you have FamilyPACT insurance.

 Confidential = Between You and Your Doc.

FamilyPACT is strict. Zero, Zip, Nada information that you share with the doc, or anyone in the clinic, can be shared with your family, boyfriend, friends, school, police, whatever. It’s totally illegal. If your clinic wants to get the bills paid, they have to keep your info private.

And… the one and only thing that clinics will tell the police about is if you are hurting yourself, if someone is hurting you, or if you are going to hurt someone else.

YOU get to decide who knows what about your birth control or STI testing. Even if you have a positive pregnancy test or want to get an abortion, that is totally your decision and your private info.

What If...

What if the clinic doesn't follow the rules, and tries to charge you, or gives out your info? Check out some organizations that can help you protect your rights!

And if you wanna know more... read up on your rights and options at TeenSource.org!