10/10/2007

College students are voicing opposition to a change in a federal increase in the price of birth control pills offered at student health clinics by as much as fourfold.

These price increases stem from a bill passed in 2006. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was intended to save billions from mandatory spending programs by slowing spending growth for Medicaid and Medicare, and changing student loan formulas.

Corollary effects of this bill have altered federal benefits to students. The effects of the increase of birth control products is just now coming to light as student health centers that had stockpiled supplies are running out.

Several universities have seen student protests about the price increase. Activists at Skidmore College in Sarasota Springs, New York are organizing at campus centers to petition students in changing the law. Students at the University of Houston are offering cell phones to students that they may call their senator immediately. At Oregon’s Reed College students set up a table illustrating the new price of birth control in comparison to Ramen Noodles (One pack of $36 birth control pills equals 198 bags of Ramen Noodles).

Some senators in opposition to what many politicians have called a “bureaucratic error”, have proposed solutions. Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill have suggested college health providers could be added to a list of pharmaceutical providers eligible for federal discounts. Both Obama and McCaskill believe this can be done at no additional expense for taxpayers.

Those opposed to changes to the law bring up several arguments. These include the fact that college students may be included on their parent’s insurance policies until they turn 22. Another argument brings up the availability of other methods of birth control. Condoms are less expensive than oral contraceptives. Other over-the-counter products such as foams and creams, although less effective than birth control pills, are also a cheaper alternative.

Information on the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005