Congress increases birth control prices

By: Marisa McStravick

Posted: 4/27/07

Practicing safe sex just got more expensive for college students.

The Federal Deficit Reduction Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in 2005, has increased prices for prescription contraceptives at student health centers across the nation. The act prevents Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from allowing universities to purchase hormonal birth control at discounted prices, as they had been able to do in the past.

Prior to the DRA, drug companies were able to sell contraceptives to clinics such as college student health centers and Planned Parenthood at little or no cost. However, now that the law has changed, college health centers and other organizations are forced to charge their patients more for contraceptives.

The act will not greatly affect Drexel students according to Barbara Rideout, the nurse practitioner at Drexel's Student Health Center. Although the student health center offers exams, they do not provide birth control. Instead, students interested in receiving prescriptive contraceptives are referred to outside sources such as the Women's Health Center and Planned Parenthood.

"We don't offer low-cost birth control because we have so many resources within the Drexel system like the women's health center to send students," said Rideout.

Most of the students using birth control that Rideout sees either pay out of pocket or have a prescription plan that pays partial, but both will be affected by the new act she said.

Rideout suggested that individuals purchasing the contraceptive should switch to a less expensive generic brand, which is what most health centers have done.

"Generic brands costs much less and are just as effective," she said.

Many female college students depend on their school's health center for contraceptives such as birth control, and according to a recent survey on the American College Health Association's website, approximately 39 percent of undergraduate women use oral contraceptives.

Mary Hoban, director of American College Health Association and National College Health Association, said that women rely on birth control for various reasons and the increase in prices will have a great impact on students.

"Students needing birth control will either have to pay more or switch methods to a generic brand," she said.

Students who wish to switch to a generic brand may encounter problems. Hoban gave the example of the NuvaRing, which is not a pill but an internal contraceptive, and does not have a generic brand available. Individuals using this would have to switch back to pill form contraceptives which may not be as effective a method for the individual as the ring.

Whether students decide to pay more or switch methods, the ACHA is concerned about the possible resulting factors of the price increase, such as a surge in pregnancy rates. The ACHA is urging CMS to restore drug discounts to student health centers.

"Compare the cost of birth control to the cost of raising a baby - it's a no brainer," said Rideout.

The rise in the price of birth control may cause students to seek less expensive options which unfortunately may be a less effective form of protection. According to Rideout the possible consequences of not paying more or switching methods isn't worth the price increase.

"We haven't given up yet, but we aren't sure how hopeful to be," said Hoban who has been working on retracting the act for the past four months.

"This is an up and down issue and the outcome is hard to predict," she said.