News > Culture > Noticed Your Birth Control Costing More? Tell Congress

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MONDAY NOVEMBER 19 2007 4:00 PM

Noticed Your Birth Control Costing More? Tell Congress

Submitted by Bitch_PhD

Edited by Bitch_PhD

Tags: birth control, reproductive rights, congress, politics

Remember this piece about birth control costs for college students going up because the Bush administration cut the funding that helps subsidize it?

Well, college students around the country, with the help of NARAL, organized petition drives on campus, and as a result of their work, there's a bill wending its way through Congress now--HR 4054, the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act--that does just what its title suggests: restores college and university access to low-cost birth control.

this fall, college women returned to campus to discover that the birth control that previously cost them $510 for a monthly supply now cost $4050 per pack, making it far more difficult to afford. Due to a provision included in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), as of January 1, 2007, every college and university health center and hundreds of safety-net providers were unintentionally cut off from accessing low-cost birth control and passing on the low price to college women and low-income women. The result has been an increase in the average price of birth control on college campuses, often to 10 times the previous cost.

Rep. Crowleys legislation, The Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, would bring down the soaring cost of birth control at college health clinics and safety-net providers and increase access to affordable birth control. This legislation will not cost the taxpayers a single dime, and would restore the voluntary benefit to college health clinics and safety-net providers. (My emphasis.)

Should be a no-brainer, but you can't count on that in a world where plenty of legislators think Plan B causes abortion (it doesn't) or that it's a-okay for pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions to women.

So take half a minute to click through and send a letter to your representative urging them to support HR 4054.

Bitch_PhD can't wait for a decent national health program that'll cover birth control for everyone.

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Comments

Bonaparte

Eugene, OR

September 2006

NOV 19, 2007 04:18 PM

hey! i just sent an e-mail to my rep. and then came on here and saw this. crazy stuff.

BigWobbles

Philadelphia, PA

June 2004

NOV 19, 2007 04:31 PM

Shit I f you ask me everything going up not just BC .. I just spent 9 bucks on roast beef...thats FUcked up...

code_red

Portland, OR

July 2005

NOV 19, 2007 04:47 PM

I really hope this goes through. Once again, another great article.

FreakPirate

Canada

November 2002

NOV 19, 2007 04:53 PM

BigWobbles said:
Shit I f you ask me everything going up not just BC .. I just spent 9 bucks on roast beef...thats FUcked up...

Yes... the two are really comparable. Dumbass.

scorp17yh

Brookings, OR

November 2004

NOV 19, 2007 05:16 PM

" Due to a provision included in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), as of January 1, 2007, every college and university health center and hundreds of safety-net providers were unintentionally cut off from accessing low-cost birth control "

I highly doubt this was unintentional

xazapdmytinu

Fort Collins, CO

July 2007

NOV 19, 2007 05:18 PM

I'll do what I can, but Marilyn Musgrave is a stone cold bitch.

Haushinka

Lakewood, NJ

August 2005

NOV 19, 2007 05:29 PM

Thank god for Drug Reps and Sample Packs, it really pays to work in the healthcare industry!

Caprica

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

NOV 19, 2007 05:51 PM

Good thing I get my birth control free......

MrOuijaAK

Anchorage, AK

September 2005

NOV 19, 2007 06:02 PM

It shouldn't be the government's responsibility to buy people birth control. Government subsidization only helps to elevate the already high prices for everyone.

Cairo

SUICIDEGIRL

Maryland, USA

NOV 19, 2007 06:04 PM

MrOuijaAK said:
It shouldn't be the government's responsibility to buy people birth control. Government subsidization only helps to elevate the already high prices for everyone.

Well, that didn't take long.