Spring Break
Cost of birth control rises at campuses across nation
U-Wire
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: News
(U-WIRE) - A recent issue for students at many colleges and universities across the nation is affordable access to contraceptives on campus.
"I think a lot of efforts are put forth by a lot of different groups on this campus [University of Maine] to make sure there are opportunities offered for students regarding safe sex practices," Richard Young, Interim Practice Manager for Cutler Health Services, said. "I don't see it as something being overlooked."
The University of Maine is home to the Cutler Healthcare Facility. Students are provided with free condoms and females can have their birth control prescriptions refilled at the facility.
These are all steps toward safe sex practices on the UMaine campus. However, there are some downfalls and concerns with these resources.
For over a decade college campus health care facilities have been a resource for budget-conscious female students seeking birth control. As a result of agreements with pharmaceutical companies, most campus clinics were able to distribute brand name prescription contraceptives, from pills to the patch to the monthly vaginal device NuvaRing, for no more than a few dollars.
However, that all ended earlier this year. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 has altered how drug makers calculate Medicaid-related rebates that are paid to the state. This has made it difficult for companies to offer discounts to schools on birth control. It has changed the cost of campus birth control prescriptions from the $3 to $10 range to the $30 to $50 range per month.
At UMaine the cost of birth control for female students can range anywhere from $15 to $60 a month. The price depends on whether it is a generic or name brand.
The Cutler facility carries around seven different types, varying in generic and name brand.
The price increase has caused some campuses to stop offering birth control. Bowdoin College is the closest.
While Bowdoin has stopped providing birth control on their campus, a middle school in Portland is now beginning to offer birth control prescriptions through their health center to its students, who range in age from 11 to 13.
"I think a lot of efforts are put forth by a lot of different groups on this campus [University of Maine] to make sure there are opportunities offered for students regarding safe sex practices," Richard Young, Interim Practice Manager for Cutler Health Services, said. "I don't see it as something being overlooked."
The University of Maine is home to the Cutler Healthcare Facility. Students are provided with free condoms and females can have their birth control prescriptions refilled at the facility.
These are all steps toward safe sex practices on the UMaine campus. However, there are some downfalls and concerns with these resources.
For over a decade college campus health care facilities have been a resource for budget-conscious female students seeking birth control. As a result of agreements with pharmaceutical companies, most campus clinics were able to distribute brand name prescription contraceptives, from pills to the patch to the monthly vaginal device NuvaRing, for no more than a few dollars.
However, that all ended earlier this year. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 has altered how drug makers calculate Medicaid-related rebates that are paid to the state. This has made it difficult for companies to offer discounts to schools on birth control. It has changed the cost of campus birth control prescriptions from the $3 to $10 range to the $30 to $50 range per month.
At UMaine the cost of birth control for female students can range anywhere from $15 to $60 a month. The price depends on whether it is a generic or name brand.
The Cutler facility carries around seven different types, varying in generic and name brand.
The price increase has caused some campuses to stop offering birth control. Bowdoin College is the closest.
While Bowdoin has stopped providing birth control on their campus, a middle school in Portland is now beginning to offer birth control prescriptions through their health center to its students, who range in age from 11 to 13.
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