U. to subsidize birth control

The University began to subsidize the cost of oral contraceptives for students on Dec. 1, after legislation withdrawing federal subsidies for campus health centers caused the price of contraceptives at colleges to skyrocket and triggered a national uproar earlier this year.

The subsidy reduces the price of oral contraceptives on campus from $15 per pack to $6, Interim UHS Director Janet Finnie said. "There were a number of students who voiced concern about losing access to birth control, including representatives of student government," she said. "The current subsidy is a direct response to concerns about affordability as we closely monitor national efforts to reverse the federal changes."

The decision to provide subsidies, Finnie said, stemmed from discussions that began last spring among senior administrators about how UHS would respond to the rapidly rising prices. Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson, who participated in the deliberations, called the price of campus contraceptives "a public health issue warranting support."

Last week, students were informed of the newly lowered birth control prices resulting from the subsidies, with notices posted on the UHS website and sent to students who currently purchase birth control from UHS. Peer educators, the Women's Center, the Student Health Advisory Board, the Graduate Student Government (GSG) and other student organizations were also informed of the changes.

The initial rise in campus birth-control prices last spring was an "unintended consequence" of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act, Finnie said in an email. As a result of the legislation, institutions of higher education no longer qualified for special reduced pricing for contraceptive supplies. Prices at UHS rose from a $6 monthly flat rate to as much as $45 for some drugs.

UHS responded to the changes in federal law by ordering as large a supply of contraception as it could before the higher prices went into effect. Nevertheless, its stock of drugs ran out, prompting the University to sell only generic-brand birth control pills on site and to provide prescriptions for those students who wanted brand-name contraceptives.

USG president Rob Biederman '08 lauded the new subsidy, saying that the USG is "quite pleased that the University has decided to mitigate this important health issue." He added that he received hundreds of complaints from students last spring after he sent an email to students informing them of the increased prices.

Biederman said he thought the University's decision to subsidize contraceptives was "largely due to conversations and lobbying" that he and GSG chair Shin-Yi Lin conducted with administrators.

Princeton Pro-Choice president Sara Viola '08 praised the subsidy, saying her group was "thrilled to find out that the University finally chose to subsidize hormonal birth control. All students should have easy access to contraception without being forced to absorb exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses."

Megan Kesselman '11 said she thought that "a decrease in the price of birth control would make people more inclined to have sex," but added that the subsidy could help students engage in sexual activity more responsibly. "People are still going to do it," she said, "but now they can do it more intelligently."

Nevertheless, the University-provided subsidies may only be needed temporarily, as federal legislators attempt to stem the rise in birth-control prices by pushing new legislation through Congress. On Nov. 1, Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) was joined by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in unveiling the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which aims to reverse the rising costs.

"A bureaucratic mistake should not stand in the way of protecting the health and safety of hardworking women," Crowley said in a statement.