The drastic problem of rising birth control costs on college campuses and community health clinics is examined in this current article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The article is listed below in its entirety.
By Jan Javis, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
"A little glitch in federal law is causing big problems for college students who get their birth control pills from campus clinics.
Over the past year, the cost of birth control pills sold through such clinics has skyrocketed nationwide, said Kathryn Allen, vice president of community relations for Planned Parenthood of North Texas.
In some cases, the monthly price rose from about $10 to $50, some experts said.
As part of a federal law that went into effect last year, the clinics were inadvertently dropped from a list of providers eligible for a discount from pharmaceutical companies. At first the clinics were able to stockpile the discounted pills, but soon students were feeling the pinch.
"We're having people come in saying, 'It's how much?!'" said Jane Gartenhaus, chief pharmacist for the University of Texas at Arlington student health center. "Then they're asking, 'Why?'"
At the University of North Texas, some students are paying five times as much for pills, said Reginald Bond, executive director of student health and wellness services.
The cost of one of the most popular brands, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, rose from $12.50 a pack to $55.75 at the UNT clinic and others.
Erin Pack-Jordan, a senior at UNT, said she's lucky because her husband has insurance, which gives her access to affordable birth control pills. But she has plenty of friends facing it.
"I have friends that were once paying $25 that are now paying $75," said Pack-Jordan, 21. "Students are already crunched for cash, and they should be able to have birth control because it promotes health."
Students are handling the increased cost in different ways.
"Some of them are just biting the bullet and paying more," Gartenhaus said. "But mostly what's happening is they're switching to a generic that's less expensive."
Generics are often $10 to $15 cheaper than name brands.
Others are skipping the pills altogether or switching to another birth control method.
At one time the UNT health clinic sold between 18,000 and 20,000 packs of birth control a year, Bond said. Now it's dropped to around 14,000 to 15,000 annually.
"At the same time we haven't seen an increase in the number of condoms being purchased," he said.
The pill is the most common form of birth control practiced on college campuses, followed by condoms, according to the American College Health Association. In 2006 an estimated 38 percent of sexually active college students used birth control pills.
Some health officials are concerned that pricier birth control pills could lead to more pregnancies. In 2006, teen pregnancy was up for the first time since 1991, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For older teens it was three times higher than for 15- to 17-year-olds.
Health officials are encouraging students to take the issue seriously.
"I would hope they would be mature enough to recognize that this is important no matter what it costs," Gartenhaus said.
The problem
The cost of birth control pills has skyrocketed at college health centers across the country. A month's supply of pills that cost $5 to $10 in 2006 now averages $30 to $50.
Why it is happening
For nearly two decades, pharmaceutical companies sold contraceptives to college health clinics at discount prices, and the savings were passed on to students. When the Deficit Reduction Act was passed in 2005, university health centers were omitted from a list of eligible discount providers. Since the law went into effect last year, the cost to college students has increased.
The fix
Planned Parenthood officials say it's a "no-cost fix": Change the language in the law so that college health centers are included on the list of "safety net providers" eligible for the discount.
The opposition
Some people say students shouldn't get a discount on pills or should switch to a generic. Some also note that pharmaceutical companies are targeting students to build brand loyalty for later in life.
The holdup
Lawmakers have been squabbling over this since last summer. Attempts to add it to another bill that involved war spending failed. Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., have introduced bills with a no-cost, technical solution. Although the bills have drawn bipartisan support, swift passage is not expected because of other legislative priorities.
