K-State students have been forced to pay high prices for birth control, because Lafene Health Center’s surplus of discounted pills is depleted.
    Prior to the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, pharmaceutical companies sold birth control pills to college health centers, like Lafene, at discounted prices. In response to the act, Lafene purchased a surplus. 
    “Four months of birth control now costs what a year’s supply used to cost,” said Chuck Murphy, director of the Riley County-Manhattan Health Department.
    Murphy said the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act took effect January 2007. The act ended certain tax breaks to pharmaceutical companies selling prescription drugs to specific institutions at discounted prices.
    Mark Brown-Barnett, Pharmacy Director at Lafene Health Center, said Lafene purchased as many discounted birth control pills as they could to provide the students with the discounted pills for as long as possible. This gave the students an extra seven to eight months at the discounted prices.
    “The federal government, as far as I am concerned, has done a disservice to the college students by enacting this law,” Brown-Barnett said.
    The Riley County-Manhattan Health Department still offers birth control pills and other prescription drugs at the discounted prices.
    “Everything we provide is based on income,” Murphy said.
    Murphy added that health department officials prefer K-State students use Lafene as their primary health-care providers.
    To receive birth control, the health department requires women use its services for annual checkups and pap smears.
    Susan Burgess, a local pharmacist, said she had not noticed an increase, but two brands of birth control recently had been placed on the generic list. Trinessa and Sprintec both can be purchased for less than their comparable name-brand forms.
    Brown-Barnett said Lafene’s birth control pills range in price from $16 to $20 for generic brands and name brands from $40 to $60.
    Lafene offers Ortho TriCyclen, not to be confused with Ortho TriCyclen LO, for $15 to students without insurance or whose insurance does not cover birth control. Lafene officials negotiated a three-year contract with Ortho to purchase the birth control at a discounted price.

Comments

2 comments

Megan

Thu Sep 4 2008 17:44

I remember when I could get my BCP for less then $10 a month, I was shocked and appalled by the increase in prices (my BCP doubled in price). This is just another example of the Bush administration dropping the ball. A woman has a right to reasonably priced BCP. It is not, nor will it ever be, a good idea to preach abstinence only "sex ed." Next thing to happen is taking away a Woman's right to choose. Women's rights are just one of the many reasons that I am voting Obama/Biden this year

Meredith Lindsey

Thu Sep 4 2008 16:58

This absolutely ridiculous! Yet ANOTHER blatant attack on womens' rights AND womens' healthcare. It seems that the Bush Administration will stop at NOTHING to completely destroy the rights of women in this country, and future generations as well. Just another step in his "global gag rule" of abstinence only "sex education."

You can BET that Bush and the other Republicans of this country will make sure Viagra never goes up in price!

NOW is the time to stand up an protect womens' rights! Before there aren't any left!!!

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