Books or birth control?
Birth control prices rising at Cal State Long Beach's Student Health Center.
Laura Figge
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: News
Like a game of dominoes, one price after another seems to be rising around Cal State Long Beach: tuition, parking passes, books and now birth control. These are just some of the items that students must prioritize on which to spend their money.
"I used to purchase birth control from the Student Health Center (SHC), until the prices went up and I could no longer afford $50 per month," said Alanna Littlepage, a junior at CSULB.
After hesitating to pay the increased price for birth control, a SHC physician recommended she try Planned Parenthood. "I actually get everything for free at Planned Parenthood," Littlepage said.
Due to a recently effective legislative action, the Deficit Reduction Act, pharmaceutical companies have lost subsidies that enabled them to provide college campuses with drugs at discounted rates. The DRA, implemented in 2007, was originally intended to reduce student loan costs, but has had unexpected side effects.
"Without the contract with the pharmaceutical companies, brand-name drug prices have increased over time," said Kathy Chen, a registered pharmacist at the SHC. According to Chen, the contracts with the pharmaceutical companies expired in 2006.
For a while, there were enough products in stock to allow the SHC to still provide students with the discounted rates. By April 2007, the SHC ran out of most of these products.
"Our students have had to pay a much higher price for their contraceptives since April of 2007," said Chen.
The prices for generic contraceptive brands have decreased because there are more generic brands of birth control, Chen said. According to Chen, the current prices for birth control at the SHC are sold at their cost with an additional 10 percent.
The option to get birth control at the SHC still has its benefits, however. It is quick and easy; being on campus is a convenient factor for many students.
"I got in and out really quickly, which I liked," said Frances Vega, a junior journalism student, of the SHC. Vega noted, however, that the SHC doesn't take insurance into consideration, so the price for birth control can end up being more than one would pay at a pharmacy.
"I used to purchase birth control from the Student Health Center (SHC), until the prices went up and I could no longer afford $50 per month," said Alanna Littlepage, a junior at CSULB.
After hesitating to pay the increased price for birth control, a SHC physician recommended she try Planned Parenthood. "I actually get everything for free at Planned Parenthood," Littlepage said.
Due to a recently effective legislative action, the Deficit Reduction Act, pharmaceutical companies have lost subsidies that enabled them to provide college campuses with drugs at discounted rates. The DRA, implemented in 2007, was originally intended to reduce student loan costs, but has had unexpected side effects.
"Without the contract with the pharmaceutical companies, brand-name drug prices have increased over time," said Kathy Chen, a registered pharmacist at the SHC. According to Chen, the contracts with the pharmaceutical companies expired in 2006.
For a while, there were enough products in stock to allow the SHC to still provide students with the discounted rates. By April 2007, the SHC ran out of most of these products.
"Our students have had to pay a much higher price for their contraceptives since April of 2007," said Chen.
The prices for generic contraceptive brands have decreased because there are more generic brands of birth control, Chen said. According to Chen, the current prices for birth control at the SHC are sold at their cost with an additional 10 percent.
The option to get birth control at the SHC still has its benefits, however. It is quick and easy; being on campus is a convenient factor for many students.
"I got in and out really quickly, which I liked," said Frances Vega, a junior journalism student, of the SHC. Vega noted, however, that the SHC doesn't take insurance into consideration, so the price for birth control can end up being more than one would pay at a pharmacy.
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