Students in need of emergency contraception might find their morning-after costs mitigated if they opt to purchase the pill from Campus Care.
The student health center offers Plan B, an over-the-counter emergency contraceptive, to students for $28 — almost half the price tag offered at pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens.
“We get a special deal on it because we are a student clinic, and we pass the savings on to the students,” said Roger Barnhouse, pharmacist at Campus Care.
CVS Pharmacy, 32 S. Court St., also offers the emergency contraceptive, but does not package it with a student discount. Plan B costs about $50, while its generic version, Next Choice, costs about $40.
Students can also opt for a prescription version of Plan B to lower the cost, leaving them with a copay that varies based on his or her insurance plan.
Those with student insurance will have 100 percent of Plan B covered by United Healthcare Student Resources if a provider writes a prescription, said Tonya Burdette, director of Campus Care, in an email. However, insurance will not cover the pill if it is purchased over the counter, which includes the $28 version provided at Campus Care.
Students at OU are not alone in being able to purchase discounted Plan B. At Kent State University, students can purchase the emergency contraceptive for $25 at any pharmacy in Kent, Ohio, said Jim Hostler, chief pharmacist at Kent State University Health Center.
Likewise, students at the University of Cincinnati also pay only $25 for Plan B if they purchase it at the UC University Health Services, said Melca Wallace, pharmacist at the center.
So far this semester, 43 packs of Plan B, which consist of one pill each, were dispensed at the Campus Care pharmacy. During Spring Quarter, 86 packs were dispensed.
Those who purchase the pill through the health center will have it billed to a student account, Barnhouse said. It then appears on the student’s account as a “pharmacy charge” instead of as an emergency contraceptive.
“We don’t advertise (the discount),” Barnhouse said. “It’s word-of-mouth. A lot of students are surprised that we’re cheaper than the big chain stores.”
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