Was surprised i didn't find this anywhere on here:
The cost of birth control has risen by up to $40 per month for thousands of college students due to a 2006 change in the law, students and elected officials said at a rally yesterday.
More below the fold.
source: http://ny.metro.us/...
The article pretty much speaks for itself:
The cost of birth control has risen by up to $40 per month for thousands of college students due to a 2006 change in the law, students and elected officials said at a rally yesterday. Calling on Congress to reverse the changes, they said that affordable birth control was a basic right for all women.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn goes on to say it'll have a ripple effect on the city if this isn't reversed in the new bill.
What's causing the increase you ask?
A provision contained in the 2006 Deficit Reduction Act stopped "safety net" health-care providers from buying contraceptives at discounted prices — as they had done for many years. In the city, that change primarily affected university health centers, but also raised costs for clinics in low-income communities.
So now instead of paying $5 to $10 a month, students and low-income women will need to be shelling out some $40-$50 per month!
I gotta say i agree with this part:
U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, who also attended the rally and is sponsoring legislation to reverse the law, said that Republican politicians had knowingly raised the price of contraception for ideological reasons.
They'd rather spend money on abstinence-only sex education. This kind of shit just pisses me the hell off.
More info on this here: http://www.broadsideonline.com/...
On Nov. 1, Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) unveiled the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which addresses the problem of expensive birth control. If it becomes law, this bi-partisan bill, already with over 100 sponsors, could reverse one of the consequences of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that became public law in February 2006. This Deficit Reduction Act includes a provision that prevents safety net healthcare providers, such as George Mason University’s Student Health Services, from buying contraceptives from pharmaceutical companies at a discounted price. The way that drug manufacturers calculate discounts for university clinics among other institutions who aim to help low-income individuals has changed. Before the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the discounts were underwritten by the federal government.
So it pretty much sounds like it changes how drug manufacturers calculate discounts for these providers. No surprise who gains here...
The press release emphasizes that bringing back discounted birth control to universities and colleges will not cost the tax payer any money. "I think anybody should be able to get discounted birth control," said sophomore accounting major Courtney Scites. "If the school is going to sell birth control, they should make them affordable."
Although there is no evidence yet, Dr. Abdalla believes that going back to discounted birth control would decrease the likelihood of unintended pregnancy by making contraceptives affordable to all Mason students. Students across the country have shown their displeasure with the effects the Deficit Reduction Act has had on contraceptive prices. In Iowa, more than 400 college students signed a petition protesting the provision responsible for increasing the price of birth control, as part of a larger, nationwide effort coordinated by the Planned Parenthood of America, according to a Nov. 5 Associated Press article.
So the GOP is trying real hard to lose more of the youth vote. I guess they figured losing the Hispanic vote wasn't enough?
UPDATED: Fixed the link :(
UPDATE 2: Added second article.
UPDATE 3: Reduced how much i quoted from the articles :)