Sponsored by: Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
Summary: For 20 years, drug companies have been encouraged by the federal government to provide university student health centers and community health clinics with discounted contraceptives, thus allowing these health care providers to pass these savings along to university students and low-income women. This has allowed many women, regardless of income, to access vital pregnancy prevention methods and to improve their health. Due to an inadvertent mistake in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), every university health center and many community health clinics were cut off from accessing discounted birth control through these drug company incentives. The result has caused birth control prices at these clinics to skyrocket to double, even triple, amounts. This crisis is estimated to affect more than 3 million college women and hundreds of thousands of low-income women. HR 4054/S 2347 would return birth control prices to affordable levels for university students and low-income women by fixing the mistake in the DRA and restoring university health centers and community clinics to the drug company incentive programs.
For 20 years, drug companies have been encouraged by the federal government to provide university student health centers and community health clinics with discounted contraceptives, thus allowing these health care providers to pass these savings along to university students and low-income women. This has allowed many women, regardless of income, to access vital pregnancy prevention methods and to improve their health.
Due to an inadvertent mistake in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), every university health center and many community health clinics were cut off from accessing discounted birth control through these drug company incentives. The result has caused birth control prices at these clinics to skyrocket to double, even triple, amounts. This crisis is estimated to affect more than 3 million college women and hundreds of thousands of low-income women.
HR 4054/S 2347 would return birth control prices to affordable levels for university students and low-income women by fixing the mistake in the DRA and restoring university health centers and community clinics to the drug company incentive programs.
PPNT Position: Strongly Support - Millions of women around the U.S. are at risk of unintended pregnancy and serious health problems simply because they can no longer afford their birth control. Since January 1, 2007, birth control prices at college campuses and some health clinics has soared from $5 to over $50 for a month's supply of birth control. With the rising cost of gas, food, even tuition, this increase in price is forcing millions of women to seek out less expensive methods, or possibly discontinue using their regular contraceptive method altogether. This is a no-cost, common-sense, technical fix to help women everywhere access preventive health care and help them plan their families.
Strongly Support - Millions of women around the U.S. are at risk of unintended pregnancy and serious health problems simply because they can no longer afford their birth control. Since January 1, 2007, birth control prices at college campuses and some health clinics has soared from $5 to over $50 for a month's supply of birth control. With the rising cost of gas, food, even tuition, this increase in price is forcing millions of women to seek out less expensive methods, or possibly discontinue using their regular contraceptive method altogether.
This is a no-cost, common-sense, technical fix to help women everywhere access preventive health care and help them plan their families.
Latest Action: 11/1/07 - HR 4054 introduced in House and referred to Energy and Commerce Committee. 11/13/07 - S 2347 introduced in Senate and referred to Finance Committee.
11/1/07 - HR 4054 introduced in House and referred to Energy and Commerce Committee.
11/13/07 - S 2347 introduced in Senate and referred to Finance Committee.
Recorded Votes:
