More bang for your buck

‘ ‘ With the price of birth control quintupled since 2005, Congress passed legislation last… ‘ ‘ With the price of birth control quintupled since 2005, Congress passed legislation last week that made affordable birth control available to women again. ‘ ‘ ‘ After a drafting error in the 2005 Deficit Reductions Act, birth control prices skyrocketed across the country by as much as 900 percent. ‘ ‘ ‘ The error resulted when the definition of eligibility for nominal drug pricing eliminated all college health centers and safety-net providers, said Planned Parenthood spokesman Tait Sye. ‘ ‘ ‘ Consequently, women have gone from paying an average of $5 to $10 per pack of birth control pills to $50 or more, he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ The passage of the new, omnibus appropriations bill marked a victory for Planned Parenthood, a national advocacy group for reproductive health care, which has been working with Congress for nearly two years to pass this legislation. ‘ ‘ ‘ The House of Representatives passed the new provision two weeks before the Senate overcame Republican opposition. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last summer, the Bush administration released a statement saying it opposed the provision to make birth control more available, said Sye. Those opposed to the act took it as a signal that the bill would never get past the White House during the Bush administration. ‘ ‘ ‘ More recently, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., proposed an amendment that would strip affordable birth control from the bill, calling it an earmark for Planned Parenthood. ‘ ‘ ‘ Sye said Planned Parenthood wouldn’t profit from this legislative fix. It is important for women to have access to low-cost birth control in these increasingly difficult economic times, said a recent Planned Parenthood news release. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘According to the Guttmacher Institute, women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men,’ said the report. This is largely because of the costs of reproductive health care. ‘ ‘ ‘ With 14,000 Americans losing health coverage each day, Planned Parenthood hopes this provision will relieve financial burdens faced by young women while simultaneously reducing unplanned pregnancies. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt women accustomed to Student Health Services’ low prices were not immune to the increased costs for contraception. ‘ ‘ ‘ When the bill was passed, some students had to switch to a different brand or method of contraception, said Dr. Elizabeth Wettick, medical director at Student Health Services. Wettick said Student Health Services doesn’t keep those statistics, so she wasn’t sure exactly how many women had switched their birth control. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It is challenging for some women if they really like a particular form of contraception to change,’ said Wettick, ‘but it is safe and generally well-tolerated.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Some women had to pay the difference out-of-pocket because not every student feels comfortable using her parents’ insurance to pay for birth control, she added. ‘ ‘ ‘ While more students did opt to use their parents’ insurance, said Wettick, others found themselves paying the 900 percent increase. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s Student Health pharmacy has yet to see a decrease in prices. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It is ultimately determined by the drug companies if they choose to offer us lower priced contraception,’ said Wettick. ‘ ‘ ‘ The restorative bill is still recent, but she said Student Health remains hopeful its impact will reach Pitt. ‘ ‘ ‘ In addition to improving access to affordable birth control, the appropriations bill has also reduced funding for abstinence-only education programs. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Community-Based Abstinence Education Program, which supports developing abstinence education programs targeted at adolescents, will receive a $14 million cut, said Sye. ‘ ‘ ‘ He clarified that the increased access to low-cost birth control and decreased funding for abstinence education are separate entities in the bill. ‘ ‘ ‘ Planned Parenthood does not explicitly favor reducing abstinence education, said Sye, but it supports education that keeps women safe and healthy. ‘ ‘ ‘ Having alternative options to abstinence is part of that education, he said.