Collegiate Times

Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — "Birth control prices settle down after skyrocketing," (CT, March 28) was incorrect. The pharmacist's staff places the birth control orders. The practitioners ask if there is a particular pill or othe

Janet Harer was alarmed when the pharmacist's staff placed another order of birth control for Schiffert Health Center last summer.

Harer, adult nurse practitioner and Women's Clinic coordinator at Schiffert Health Center, noticed a sharp increase in prices for birth control. Pharmaceutical companies had been raising birth control costs since January of last year, but clinics' tendency to stockpile delayed the realization.

"Tricyclin-low went from $14 to $42 in one fell swoop," Harer said.

She added that two other contraceptives went from $14 to $24 per cycle, which usually lasts 28 days - but have since returned to their original price. NuvaRing also increased from $14 to $42, where it remains.

According to the Women's Clinic Web site, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which excluded college health clinics from receiving discounts on contraceptives, went into effect last July. In addition, most pharmaceutical companies started raising prices in January of last year. College health clinics, along with health departments and Planned Parenthood, received the lowest prices on these products for years prior to the DRA.

The American College Health Association is trying to put college health clinics back on the discount list.

Mary Hoban, director of the National College Health Assessment Program Office, a project of the ACHA, said there is nothing they can do to keep birth control prices low except "to work with legislators to reinstate the discount."

She explained that this increase in prices for college students was not an intentional move by authors of the DRA.

"There was some concern that many were using the discount as more of a marketing tool," Hoban said. "The concern as I understand was about perceived abuses on the part of the manufacturer."

Planned Parenthood is also urging Congress to return discounts to college health centers.

"Our concern is that women and couples will not be using reliable contraceptives, but will still be as sexually active," said David Nova, vice president of Planned Parenthood of Blue Ridge.

He said the company has kept its birth control prices "relatively low despite laws changing, but that's even been difficult for us to do."

At the Blacksburg Planned Parenthood site, contraceptive prices have stayed constant, said health care assistant Katie Frech.

She said its standard price for birth control is $20 a pack, but clients receive discounts as they buy more. Although all pills cost the same, other methods may have higher prices, such as the $40 patch.

"There are many Planned Parenthoods across the country who have felt the effects (of the DRA)," Frech said. "We personally haven't."

The Women's Clinic is no longer feeling the effects as strongly as it did last summer.

Although Harer does not know why the prices went down after the one batch of expensive birth control, she said the clinic took advantage of the lower cost.

"The next time we order (prices) went down," Harer said. "We didn't argue with them, we just ordered a lot."

She explained that the previous price increase has slightly changed its methods of prescribing birth control. Now, the practitioners ask if there is a particular pill or other method patients want to try. If so, the clinic may or may not have it.

Sometimes nurses will write a prescription and later receive a call from the client saying it needs to written differently for insurance purposes.

"We've just incorporated the time that it takes to figure out what each woman needs," Harer said. "(The prices) are going up just like everything else. Our pharmacist tries to order them at the cheapest prices and order as many as we can. If we can get them cheaper, we will."