Birth Control Pricing Problem Repaired
Campus health centers and family planning clinics are celebrating a legislative victory that will make prescription contraceptives more affordable. Yesterday, President Obama signed the Omnibus Spending Bill which repairs an error created three years ago when Congress passed language that made it difficult for drug companies to offer reduced prices for contraceptives to college health centers and many family planning clinics that provide birth control to uninsured and underinsured populations. The repair allows drug companies to sell contraceptives to safety-net and campus health centers at reduced cost. The change does not force them to do so. The pharmaceutical company’s option to reduce pricing is discretionary and there is no cost to tax payers.
“Campus health centers and family planning clinics throughout Wisconsin and across the nation are optimistic that drug companies will once again offer reduced pricing so women can afford this necessary preventive care,” said Diane Zanto, Public Affairs Chair for the Wisconsin Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (WFPRHA) and UW-Oshkosh Campus Health Director. Ms Zanto emphasized that many young women and their families are postponing child bearing for economic reasons.
Lon Newman, WFPRHA President, said that “Many women have lost their jobs, their health insurance, and sometimes their homes. It’s important that they are able to reach their goals for education and training. To do that they need access to affordable and reliable birth control. We are grateful to President Obama, to Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey, and to Congress for their understanding and support.”
