Contraceptive Costs At Minnesota Colleges Increasing Up To Five Times

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 07 Feb 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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The cost of prescription contraceptives at college health clinics in Minnesota has increased up to fivefold since last year, the Mankato Free Press reports. According to some advocates, packets of birth control pills have increased from between $5 and $10 for a monthly supply to as much as $50 (Krohn, Mankato Free Press, 2/4).

The cost of birth control increased last year as the result of an inadvertent change to the federal law that created a financial disincentive for pharmaceutical companies to sell deeply discounted birth control to college clinics. Many colleges tried to maintain costs for contraceptives for a few months by buying in bulk before the new law took effect but had to increase prices when their supplies ran out. Some college clinics have stopped stocking various contraceptives. About 400 community-based family planning clinics also have been affected by the financial disincentive for the drug companies. Some college clinics have reported decreases in the number of contraceptives sold, and some students have said they have switched to less expensive methods of contraception or are relying on emergency contraception (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 1/28).

Ann Johnson, health services pharmacist at Minnesota State University-Mankato, said the increase has "really affected students." Johnson said that although some students can use health insurance to reduce the cost of birth control, the amount of savings depends on the coverage. She added that many students might not want the charge to show up on their health insurance. "A lot of students are covered by their parents' policy, and there may be some privacy issues for students," Johnson said. According to the Free Press, students also can apply to receive contraceptives through the Minnesota Family Planning Program, but not all students are eligible and the application process is lengthy.

Jodi Egeland, a nurse practitioner at MSU, said generic versions of some contraceptives can cost $15 to $20 monthly, and some students have reactions to the pills. "If they're having issues with the generic pills, they have to go to the higher-priced ones," Egeland said (Mankato Free Press, 2/4).

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