Several female students, most from AU's Washington College of Law, regrouped last semester to form AU's Contraceptive Coverage Campaign in an effort to tell University administrators that students on campus want oral contraceptives to be covered on their student health plan.
In bringing their fight to the main campus, the group orchestrated an "Email-In/Phone-In" to Dean of Students Faith Leonard before spring break and is trying to get student groups on campus involved.
"I believe the action was successful from the feedback that I received from students, even though several students, myself included, received rather unresponsive replies to our messages from the Dean," law student Grace Pazdan said.
The group collected 1,300 signatures for their petition with about 80 percent from the law school. It has also met with Student Health Center Director Bethany Chiaramonte and Leonard, law student Meghan Stewart, said.
"Legally oral contraceptives should be covered by our student insurance plan. They are the easiest and least intrusive form of birth control and its lack of coverage violates equal protection under federal Title IX law," Stewart said.
The National Women's Law Center and Linda Rosenthal of the Center for Reproductive Rights are legally representing the students.
"Contraception coverage is an essential part of women's health and when a university will cover some prescriptions but not include all birth-control prescriptions, this is discrimination based on sex," said Lassow of the National Women's Law Center.
Last year, when a group of students approached the administration to change the University's insurance plan to include all oral contraceptives, AU officials rejected the request. Leonard said that they were not convinced the increase in cost would be a good value for students and there was not enough information to determine if there was significant demand for the benefit.
She added that the University would undertake a thorough review of the issue by gathering more information and arriving at an informed decision about adding the benefit in the coming year.
The average price of birth-control pills without insurance coverage is $35. However, in an effort to make some concessions, the Student Health Center added three more generic brands of birth control pills to the existing two at a $10 cost, which is available to all students who may or may not have the school's health insurance.
The $10 cost per cycle, for most, is below most insurance plans. But they also expanded the plan to include depro vera, which is a form of birth control given every three months by injection. The center also dispenses some non-oral contraceptives, which include fitting for diaphragms, but based on popular belief, Viagra is not covered, Leonard said.
Chiaramonte said although they provide several birth control pill options, there are some women who want to use pills that the center does not carry.
Not all pharmaceutical companies offer cheaper options for health centers, such as AU's top purchase; the five brands of pills available at AU are provided at a lower cost because of the deal AU gets from those companies.
"It is entirely frustrating to change one's brand of birth control and students faced with this financial problem are forced to physically deal with the effects of switching to another type," Stewart said.
Chiaramonte said this is a hot issue for this campus on the political, economic and equality level.
About 3,400 of the University's 11,500 students are enrolled in the plan, University officials said, while most other students are covered by their parents' or employer's health policies.
The AU student health insurance premium for 2003-2004 school year is $775, an increase from last year's $710. According to Chiaramonte, the rise in cost overall was due to the insurance industry driving up premiums. Under last year's estimation, if oral contraceptives were covered under AU's health insurance, the added cost to the premium would be about $30.
However, AU officials are unsure students would be willing to accept this increase.
Roughly one-third of four-year colleges in the United States offer students' prescription drug coverage, and about half of those plans cover contraceptives, according to Stephen L. Beckley, director of a health care management and benefit consulting firm for colleges and universities.
According to a 2002 Washington Post article, last year George Washington University faced similar demands when GW law students gathered signatures for a petition and sent it with a letter to the university administrators, calling the exclusion of contraceptive coverage from student health's insurance sex discrimination and a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the federal Title IX law. In response, GW officials did change the plan to include birth control pill coverage.
"When GW decided to change their policy, they claimed it was because of student demand, not because they violated any laws, which is the standard answer from most universities facing this type of dispute," Lassow said.
According to Leonard, the situation at GW differs from AU. Leonard said the major difference is AU health insurance is mandatory for students who are not covered otherwise and GW health insurance is voluntary.
"We have a pool of students that do not have the option to leave our insurance plan if the premium gets raised as opposed to GW students that could drop their university insurance if they were displeased," Leonard said.
A survey will be made available shortly and randomly administered to get students opinions on improvements to the insurance plan and the health center, Leonard said. The survey will provide information to the administration with what they feel would be sufficient data when negotiations arise again to change the plan.
"These are complex negotiations that involve not only benefits changes but the escalating cost for health care in general," Leonard said.
Stewart said that the administration is focusing on the "economic analysis" and disagree with Leonard's assumption that not all students will benefit from oral contraceptive coverage.
The contraceptive group has been trying to get the Women's Initiative to join their cause. However, Initiative Director Michelle Brownstein said that the initiative has been indirectly working with the group and has had several meetings with Leonard and Chiaramonte.
Brownstein said that she would like to do more with the group.
Brownstein said the initiative represents the entire student body and does not take a stance on reproductive choice or abortion, but they do support birth control.
"Regardless of any position they may have taken in the past, we welcome any support that they are willing to give us and feel that our movement for contraceptive coverage will only get stronger as student organizations, particularly those addressing women's issues, become more involved," Pazdan said.
Pazdan said all students have a vested interest in their cause. Furthermore she said male students covered under the health insurance plan should support them.
"It should be covered," said Nick Vockrodt, an AU senior who is insured by AU. "Birth control is a benefit worth the cost."
Although AU health insurance does not cover the pill, it does cover first trimester abortions. AU insurance covers up to $200 for an abortion not including the $150 deductible.
"It bothers me, as a pro-life advocate I would rather the pill be covered than abortion. I am surprised AU covers abortions and this makes me want to drop my AU health plan," AU sophomore Alicia Pimental said.
The Eagle reported in 2002 other area universities such as George Mason University and GW also cover abortions while the University of Maryland covers only medically necessary abortions. Oral contraceptives are only covered for medical purposes at GMU, but the UMD's student health plan covers contraceptives, in compliance with a law regulating all fully insured health plans in the state. GMU does not.
The new AU health insurance plan will not go into effect until August 2004, Leonard said that ultimately the decision would be made by the administration whether to include oral contraceptives in the health insurance plan.
"I want students to know that the administration is certainly responsive to students' concerns and is taking those concerns into account during insurance negotiations," Leonard said.
While the University takes time to oversee the issue, other students like sophomore Natasha Olsen cannot simply wait for new changes, if any, to include oral contraceptives to be included on the health plan.
"It was sort of upsetting, I couldn't afford to pay for the brand I needed, which cost $40, so I switched to the cheaper kind the Student Health Center offered," Olsen said. "Next year I am switching to my parent's insurance so I can have what I want."
Eagle Staff Writer Stokely Baksh contributed to this report.
