How much is protected sex worth to you? Female students will be asking themselves that question a lot this semester. A large price increase in products available through Health Services, such as the NuvaRing birth control method and Plan B emergency contraception, has resulted after UNH's Health Services lost contracts with a number of birth control manufacturers.
NuvaRing will now cost students $35 per cycle through Health Services, up from $12, while Plan B was $19 and is now $25 per cycle.
Student users are not happy about the change.
Aly, a UNH senior, used to buy the NuvaRing at Brook's Pharmacy where she paid $40 per cycle, but then decided to switch to Health Services because it was cheaper. "Now I have to think of an alternative. If I had known it was changing, I would have bought it in bulk," she says.
Unfortunately, notification did not come very early.
"We were notified in December that our pricing on our contraceptive products would be increasing, effective Jan. 1, 2007," said Cindy McGahey, the director of finance and administration at the UNH Health Services Center.
The price increase is not a decision made by Health Services, but is driven by pharmaceutical companies and affects certain contracts.
"The pharmaceutical companies eliminated the clinic pricing structure that we were purchasing our contraceptives under," said McGahey.
A law passed in Feb. 2006 as part of the Deficit Reduction Act contained the stipulation resulting in the price change. Drug manufacturers used to offer discounted drugs to specialty groups, such as university health clinics and family planning groups like Planned Parenthood.
However, the act now requires that the companies offer the same discount to all federal and state programs, such as Medicaid, as well as specialty groups.
The change in federal policy led to the cancellation of the contracts offering discounted prices at UNH's Health Services and other university health care facilities across the country. "They didn't even tell me when I called to schedule a refill appointment. This is ridiculous," said Jenny, a UNH junior. Jenny has bought the NuvaRing at UNH Health Services for the past three years.
The cost increase has also affected Desogen and Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. "With the exception of NuvaRing, we were able to purchase enough of these products to get through most, if not all, of the second semester," said McGahey.
A cheaper alternative for students purchasing birth control would be buying a generic form opposed to brand names. Health Services carries some of these generic forms, however, there are currently no generic alternatives available for NuvaRing and Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, two very popular forms of birth control offered at Health Services.
"We anticipate that our sales of these products may drop," said McGahey.
However, Macgahey believes most women will continue purchasing a method, regardless of price increases, once they have found one that works for them.
While Plan B is not meant to be used as a birth control method but as an emergency contraception option, its price was also increased.
In 2006 the FDA granted over-the-counter or OTC status to the Plan B drug, making it available to anyone 18 years or older, male or female, throughout the country. Since the drug became available over the counter, an increase in cost from the supplier led to an increase in prices available to students at Health Services.
Though the increase will likely strain the budgets of some female college students, there is a bright side.
Some generic brands of birth control still cost more than brand names sold at Health Services, said one Health Services nurse practitioner. Students can also buy as many cycles as they want at Health Services, while other pharmacies have limits.
The average retail for a method such as NuvaRing in a Brook's or CVS Pharmacy is $35 to $40, still more expensive than the increased Health Services price. However, prices from these types of pharmacies also depend on one's insurance coverage.
"We are not happy that the clinic pricing has been eliminated, however, we do not have any alternative to go to. We will continue to offer products at competitive prices and will continue to search for generic alternatives when available," said Mcgahey.
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