Culture Wars (sort of): Pricing edition
Slate looks into a popular birth-control pill maker's recent decision to increase what it charges family-planning clinics across the country from 1 penny to 18 dollars.
The change, which was unannounced and all at once, means that there is a shortage of pills in most of the federally-funded clinics across the US, and the rise in price will mean that other services will need to be cut, or alternatively that selection will be cut down.
Apparently, the price that companies can charge such clinics is set by the government, and this falls within the restrictions set out by the policy. It still seems a bit draconian, to say the least, and is exactly the sort of thing that government is supposed to be working to protect. I'm not suggesting that we obligate companies to sell pills for less than the cost of the cardboard packaging, but instead that it may be in government's interests to come to some sort of middle ground in pricing, as well as boosting the appropriate funding for clinics. What is worse, in the long run- spending a little more money on contraception options for those that need it, or having an increase of unwanted pregnancies amognst those that really can't afford it?
The change, which was unannounced and all at once, means that there is a shortage of pills in most of the federally-funded clinics across the US, and the rise in price will mean that other services will need to be cut, or alternatively that selection will be cut down.
Apparently, the price that companies can charge such clinics is set by the government, and this falls within the restrictions set out by the policy. It still seems a bit draconian, to say the least, and is exactly the sort of thing that government is supposed to be working to protect. I'm not suggesting that we obligate companies to sell pills for less than the cost of the cardboard packaging, but instead that it may be in government's interests to come to some sort of middle ground in pricing, as well as boosting the appropriate funding for clinics. What is worse, in the long run- spending a little more money on contraception options for those that need it, or having an increase of unwanted pregnancies amognst those that really can't afford it?
posted by an Mike Powell at 12:56 PM
1 Comments:
But on the flip side, the FDA annouced today that they are making the morning after pill (Plan B) more accessable.
So as they say, you win some, you loose some.
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