The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/4/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Julie Friedlander

UConn students are suddenly facing sharp increases in the price of hormonal contraceptives, according to Student Health Services (SHS).

The increase is a result of the federal Deficit Reduction Act, which has cut financial incentives that are given to drug companies who offer discounted contracts for birth control to non-profit organizations and universities.

The price increases took effect in January and are expected to rise again in the fall.

According to Michael Olzinski, the SHS Pharmacy supervisor, a pack of generic birth control pills was priced from $10 to $12 and rose to $20 in January. The brand-name pill, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, will go up to $40 in the fall. The NuvaRing, which costs $25 per month, will double in cost in the fall. The Ortho Evra patch will go up to $45 in the fall, and the Depro Provera shot will remain the same price.

"A lot of the discounted [birth control] we get is through drug company contracts, but they've stopped the contracts," said Jane Bainbridge, a Women's Clinic advice nurse.

The aim of the Deficit Reduction Act is to "bring mandatory spending under control." It will save taxpayers $6 billion on Medicare and Medicaid over the next five years, according a White House press release.

"What it means is that the government does not give [drug companies] a rebate, so they have no reason to make discounted birth control available to us," Olzinski said. "There is no contract pricing that gives us the ability to pass on lower price options to our patients."

"I don't think it will effect the number of students who get birth control, but it will make a difference in which product they select," Olzinski said.

According to an American College Health Association survey, about 39 percent of undergraduate women use oral contraceptives.

It is also an issue because for many students, the burden of payment rests on their shoulders.

"It should be a priority for birth control to be made cheap and accessible to college students," said Julie Mackey, a 4th-semester materials science engineering major." "Especially since a lot of people aren't comfortable telling their parents they are on it."

"I think that a lot of students who are on birth control and aren't on it for medical reasons, will reconsider because of the rising costs," she said.

The Deficit Reduction Act has not had an effect on Planned Parenthood branches in Connecticut, according to Susan Yolen, the vice president for public affairs of Planned Parenthood of Connecticut.

"Planned Parenthood of Connecticut is federally eligible for discounted drug prices," Yolen said. "But in states where they don't get federal money, like in Colorado, federal family planning money for discounted services will no longer be available. Many places in the country are frozen out of funding."



"When prices go up, a lot of students might just say, 'I'll just use a condom' or a less reliable method," Mackey said.

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