Cost of birth control up at least $10

Students planning to purchase contraceptives at Portland State’s health clinic in the coming school year could pay as much as $10 more per prescription, due to national cuts in federal spending last year.

The effect of the cuts in federal spending has led to sharp increases in birth control prescription prices at on-campus health care centers, such as PSU’s Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC), as well as public health clinics across the nation.

Nancy Feltner, head nurse at SHAC, said students can expect contraceptive prices at the student health center to be raised significantly starting this fall due to the federal cuts.

“Students can expect some prices to maybe even double,” Feltner said. “Depending on which pill they were using, the increase could be between $7 and $10.”

New regulations went into effect after President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act last year in an attempt to cut federal spending by $39 billion. The legislation halted funding previously given to drug companies to keep prices low for birth control sold to college students on campuses around the country.

Bridge Gorrow, acting director of PSU’s Women’s Resource Center (WRC), said that it is important for college students to consider the political implications of such a regulation.

“It is pretty interesting to look at who this legislation is specifically targeting,” Gorrow said. “By making birth control less affordable, college women are being encouraged to reproduce.”

Gorrow said that many single parents struggle financially while pursuing their degree, and some are forced to put off school to support their families.

Gorrow also said she sees students daily in the WRC whose budgets will be greatly impacted by the increase in costs.

“I know of many students who live in a daily survival mode,” Gorrow said. “An additional $5 to $20 is huge to many women who are trying to struggling to get by.”

Although prices have been set at SHAC for fall term, Ashley Cooley, nurse practitioner and SHAC assistant director of health services, said that she did not know exactly what the costs would be for the whole year.

“These prices really depend upon the supply that we get,” Cooley said. “Then we turn that around and give it to students at a nominal fee.” Suppliers are often juggled, Cooley said, to get the best deal for students.

“This year, Cooley added, “we’re trying to keep monthly costs to students at around $20.”

Historically, Cooley said, prices for similar prescriptions have been as low as $2 per month. Over the years, prices have fluctuated considerably, and this fall’s prices are at the highest end of that fluctuation.

Prescription medications are purchased in bulk by the state of Oregon for public health clinics, including all the public universities and other clinics, such as Planned Parenthood.

While both Cooley and Feltner agreed that SHAC is providing a product at the lowest price possible, they also said actual purchasing prices are not within their direct control.

“We work really hard to meet the student’s needs as best we can,” Feltner said, “but we are limited by our supply.”

Roughly 30 to 40 percent of the students visiting SHAC come for women’s health services, and birth control is chief among those services, Cooley said. The clinic sees about 150 students each day during the school year.