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 probably won’t go there again unless I absolutely have to,” Vega said.
Another outcome to consider is the sales of Plan B at the SHC as a direct result of costly birth control. According to its website, Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that, when taken within three days of unprotected sex, has an 89 percent chance of reducing the risk of pregnancy. The sale of Plan B at the SHC has steadily increased since 2007, said Chen.
Unless a student has health insurance, going to the SHC to obtain birth control may be her only way. If a student comes to the SHC and cannot afford birth control, she may apply for Family Pact, a state-funded program for contraceptives coverage. According to Chen, once students are qualified, they can receive birth control for free. This option is not available to everyone, however. It is only for students who qualify for the program, and it allows them to receive three months of their prescription at a time for free. It is also renewable annually to those students who qualify, said Chen.
