Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: Campus

By Liz Coffin-Karlin
The Daily Northwestern

The prices for birth control pills will rise significantly in university health centers and pharmacies because of a recent change in tax codes.

The Northwestern pharmacy sells about 30 different types of oral contraceptives, most of which are generic brands.

Although the exact changes in prices are not yet available, the university is expecting substantial increases. For example, one common medication is Desogen, a brand-name drug that costs students about $15 per month. According to NU pharmacist Jeff Rappaport, the university hopes the new price will be less than $50 per month.

"We had contracts with some (pharmaceutical companies) but those contracts have expired. We're trying to replace them as competitively as we can," Rappaport said.

The university is trying to negotiate with pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers, but it has relatively little bargaining power because NU is only one of many college campuses nationally that will be affected by the rising prices.

Pharmaceutical companies used to sell the drugs at large discounts to health care providers, such as universities. But under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, having discounts increased the money companies must pay to participate in Medicaid. The effect of the bill on college students became apparent only recently because enforcement of the bill just began and many universities have been temporarily able to keep prices low using drug stockpiles.

"As usual, (the price rise) was an unintended consequence," said Dr. Donald Misch, executive director of University Health Services.

The rising prices will especially affect those students who are not covered by university insurance and pay for oral contraceptives out of pocket, Rappaport said.

Because a number of students buy birth control off-campus, the number of NU students who use oral contraception is not available. The American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment states that in fall 2005, about 37 percent of college students used birth control pills.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools