Low-cost birth control sought for campuses

The No. 1 drug dispensed on most college campuses may be on its way to being more affordable, if a bill in Congress is successful.

The Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, presented Nov. 1, aims to restore eligibility for college health centers to obtain low-cost birth control. The benefits would trickle down to college students and low-income women in communities.

"Students have had to pay a lot more, and that has meant switching methods or getting generic versions of their prescriptions," said Jim Averett, a pharmacist at Brigham Young University.

A 28-day supply of birth control pills that was costing students $14 is now more than $35, unless patients opt for a generic medication. Birth control is not only used for family planning situations, but in many cases for other hormonal imbalances, including ovarian cysts.

"We're all about saving students money, so anything we can do helps," he said.

Lower costs mean that a wider population can afford to access the contraceptive method. The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-New York, will solve the access problems, said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

"This bill is win-win," she said. "Access to affordable birth control is something Democrats and Republicans do agree on."

Until last year, birth control was available to students at the lower cost than they'd pay outside of the campus pharmacy. When legislation changed how pharmacies set their prices, college health centers were no longer included as a low-income option, and many students were faced with having to come up with an extra $300 per year to avoid getting pregnant.

There has been a recent and visible drop in sales, as students have shied away from the pill and opted either for other methods of contraception or nothing at all.

"We've definitely seen decreased access, and that's of concern because the pill is a safe and effective form of birth control," said Dr. Jim Davis, director of student health services at Utah State University.

Davis said college clinics were probably overlooked when Congress adopted the Deficit Reduction Act, which took hold last January. Access to low-cost medications was cut off for campus pharmacies, as well as local safety-net providers of health care, putting cheap birth control out of reach for the estimated 3 million college women and hundreds of thousands of low-income women who take oral contraception.