Cost for birth control pills near Georgetown? $9 at Target

Sandra Fluke’s testimony in front of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) panel in Washington, D.C. was made up drivel designed to whip up the political left into fiegned outrage. Fluke has been used by the left, and I hope she understands that.

I think I’ve mentioned feigned outrange enough this week … Sandra Fluke, with my emphasis in bold.

Without insurance coverage, contraception can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school. For a lot of students who, like me, are on public interest scholarships, that’s practically an entire summer’s salary. Forty percent of female students at Georgetown Law report struggling financially as a result of this policy. One told us of how embarrassed and powerless she felt when she was standing at the pharmacy counter, learning for the first time that contraception wasn’t covered, and had to walk away because she couldn’t afford it. Women like her have no choice but to go without contraception. Just last week, a married female student told me she had to stop using contraception because she couldn’t afford it any longer. Women employed in low wage jobs without contraceptive coverage face the same choice.

I’m certain if one really tried really hard, they could pay more than $3,000 for contraception during a three year period. But even if you are completely uninsured, Fluke and other female students can walk over to Target – with a prescription of course – and pick up contraception for $9 per month. John McCormack over at The Weekly Standard notes it costs more to buy two drinks at a Georgetown watering hole.

… Fluke’s testimony was very misleading. Birth control pills can be purchased for as low as $9 per month at a pharmacy near Georgetown’s campus. According to an employee at the pharmacy in Washington, D.C.’s Target store, the pharmacy sells birth control pills–the generic versions of Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Ortho-Cyclen–for $9 per month. “That’s the price without insurance,” the Target employee said. Nine dollars is less than the price of two beers at a Georgetown bar.

Honestly, how can you not roll your eyes at this testimony when you know the cost is $324 for three years, not more than $3,000, and Fluke includes statements like this…

When I look around my campus, I see the faces of the women affected, and I have heard more and more of their stories. . On a daily basis, I hear from yet another woman from Georgetown or other schools or who works for a religiously affiliated employer who has suffered financial, emotional, and medical burdens because of this lack of contraceptive coverage. And so, I am here to share their voices and I thank you for allowing them to be heard.

Ms. Fluke, you’re being played by Pelosi. She’s already considered a freak so she used you and pulled you into this mess. I really do hope you come to realize you’re being used by the political left. If not … I’m sorry for you.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

38 Comments

  1. Lucinda on March 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    Huh, how about that. No insurance necessary.
    ?
    As I said in the chatroom earlier, her argument is specious. Planned Parenthood provides free and/or low-cost birth control, and not just the pill.
    ?



  2. Dimsdale on March 2, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    Walmart and Kroger’s too!? Walmart sells them $8 a month if you buy three month’s worth!?? Less than a pack of cigarettes!
    ?
    Tell me why is this an issue again?? Probably either a “foot in the door” for coverage of any and all drugs, or a ruse to include abortion coverage.? Time will tell.



    • SoundOffSister on March 3, 2012 at 7:09 pm

      I did some research too.? The average cost of a condom is 20 cents.? Law school is a 3 year program. ?Using the witness’s testimony about spending $3000?for birth control in?this 3 year period in law school, that results in the purchase of 5000 condoms per year.?
      Is Fluke’s testimony before Congress a lie, or, is Fluke’s testimony before Congress a left wing fabrication?



    • crystal4 on March 4, 2012 at 8:17 am

      So condoms could be used for her friend’s? reproductive issues? Wow, better call her.



  3. RoBrDona on March 2, 2012 at 1:24 pm

    Witch hunts, false testimony, show trials and general prurience are all hallmarks of a failed system. In years past this pathetic twit would have been shouted down by any number of politicians that actually still had some morals and a set of cojones.? Bait and switch – bait and switch – who gives a damn if some law student (at one of the most expensive schools in the US) spends more time on her back than in class? The proposed law is about the 1st Amendment!!!!!?



  4. Lucinda on March 2, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Another thought. These future lawyers are smart enough to get into law school, but aren’t smart enough to shop around for the best price for birth control?
    ?
    I guess they have a future in government.



    • Sad4CT on March 3, 2012 at 12:45 pm

      They’re smart enough to get into law school, but evidently not smart enough to understand our Constitution.? Of course, that’s not their fault…? They were never taught about our Constitution.



  5. TomTGRWolcott on March 2, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    She got ripped off spending $3,000? But I suppose we need government to help her with where she spends her money eventually….nanny state anyone?
    ?



  6. Lynn on March 2, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    I’m speechless, what a Fluke!



  7. GdavidH on March 2, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    She’s a liberal, err, ummm, meant to say liar.



  8. sweepersue on March 2, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Of course, she could choose NOT to have sex if she really doesn’t have the $9 for birth control, or is having sex a requirement for a law degree now at Georgetown?
    Did anybody hear Charles Lane of the Washington Post on Special Report with Brett Baier, pompously tell the audience to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh? He was sooooo offended by Rush’s comments, yet where was he when the left media was dragging Sarah Palin through the mud. Utter hypocrisy and feigned outrage!



  9. Eric on March 2, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    Charles Lane is an abortion waiting to happen. ?His hypocrisy is well documented, and his whining is classic liberal. ?This Fluke woman is a hoot though. ?She’s got some nerve, putting herself in the middle of the food fight we call our US Congress, and whining about her need to do any guy she chooses without regard for the consequences. ?I mean this is something that she’s telling the whole world about… it’s unbelievable! ?”If you can’t afford the $8 for a box of birth control pills then keep your knees together until you can!” ?What a slut. ?Mom and Dad must be real proud of this winner!



    • crystal4 on March 3, 2012 at 7:43 am

      Everytime I think the rhetoric cannot get any lower…



    • Dimsdale on March 3, 2012 at 10:13 am

      Well, I could refer you to some of the things said about George Bush……



    • Lynn on March 4, 2012 at 9:21 am

      Let’s not forget the horrid things the MSM said about any woman who told how Bill Clinton treated them. Can anyone say Sexual Harassment, yet not a word from NOW.



  10. Shock and Awe on March 2, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Here’s the ultimate birth control…get plastic surgery to look like nancy pelosi, than no one will be going anywhere near you.



  11. ricbee on March 2, 2012 at 10:30 pm

    ?Looks like easy pickings at Georgetown…let them Catholic girls get away from home & it’s open season.



  12. winnie on March 3, 2012 at 12:29 am

    With reproductive “rights” come reproductive “responsibilities”.? You gotta pay to play…or hope you’ve got really good rhythm.? In any event, what rankles me the most is the implication that I should be paying for someone’s college aged child’s birth control.? If she’s under the age of 26, shouldn’t she be on mummy’s & daddy’s insurance, anyway?? Unless they work for a Catholic organization, there should be NO problem…either that, or she was trying to hide from them that she’s having sooooooo much sex in law school and *whoops!* that’s now out of the bag since she testified before of congress.



    • winnie on March 3, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      Turns out she’s over the age of 30 and an activist/community organizer.

      Shock of shocks.



  13. cherwin on March 3, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Such a pathetic display of BS. Where do they find these people? They love to pick some naive little sucker that they can prop up and have them talk nonsense. And they go right along with it and instead of looking up facts they say what they were trained to say. Pathetic especially for a “law” student. She apparently hasn’t learned much yet.
    The Obama administration is so good at finding and presenting these whiners. As if the rest of us with?even minimal intelligence can’t see right through them.
    Is she in school to learn or to have sex? I have to wonder where she places her priorities.
    Yes, we have a generation of,?”I want what?I want and I want it?now”, “you owe me” bunch of whiney brats with no values and principles to live by. ? Great parenting!!!???



  14. cherwin on March 3, 2012 at 7:35 am

    And~~~ I have a great idea for birth control that would cost nothing and save money. Stop the incentive welfare payments for having more children without daddys. The money is so good they have no reason to use birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Hell no, why would they even take free pills? If the money wasn’t so good they might take some responsiblility for having more kids. And go after the, “baby daddys” who love to go spreading their offspring all over town and walking away from their responsibilities.
    You can give people?all the freebies in the world, but unless you expect?them to take?responsibility for their actions, you aren’t helping anyone and you are just throwing money away.
    The taxpayers will just keep dishing out money to pay for those who think they can do whatever they want with?no consequences and still get rewarded by the government, liberal policies.
    If Obama gets another 4?years, we will never recover from his policies.
    ?



  15. sammy22 on March 3, 2012 at 12:26 pm

    It would have been easy to let this “issue” go by and vanish in a day. But Rush saw it differently and now we can read what his followers believe. Seems like a good way to lose the vote of the Independent women.



    • Dimsdale on March 3, 2012 at 1:26 pm

      There is no way the Democrats are going to let this smokescreen go away.? They will keep pounding on it to cover their lousy record.? One has to believe that “independent women” are pretty stupid, or never bought any contraception….



  16. Dimsdale on March 3, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    The lack of positive accomplishments, a lousy economy, high fuel prices, rampant corruption, extraconstitutional appointments etc. leave this administration with little else but to try to peel away voters from Republicans “by any means necessary”.



  17. sammy22 on March 3, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    I think there are more registered Dems than Repubs. And in any event, I’d say it’s the Independents that swing the elections.



  18. Chetan on March 3, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    Yep, noticed how they jump on Rush for what he said, than the actual fabrication of a testimony?? Thank God Obama called her….hmmmm…She implies that these women spend a lot on contraception’s.?? Wonder if he and slick Willy are going to Georgetown.? I dont think the Republicans will lose the independent woman voters, because I just dont think they are that naive to think this girl is telling the truth.?



    • crystal4 on March 4, 2012 at 8:23 am

      Sure..that’s why 6 of Rush’s advertisers dropped him, because there was no outcry from women.



    • Lynn on March 4, 2012 at 9:28 am

      Crystal, yes, he paid the price for speaking his mind. No one said free speech means there are no consequences. We Conservatives have known for years that you can lose friends, if you speak your mind.? It’s a great way to find out who are your true friends. I’m sure if we lived anywhere but the “LEFT” Coasts it would be the opposite.



  19. crystal4 on March 5, 2012 at 6:58 am

    “We Conservatives have known for years that you can lose friends, if you speak your mind.? It?s a great way to find out who are your true friends”
    Really, is that the way you speak your mind…by calling someone names for 3 days in a row?



    • Dimsdale on March 5, 2012 at 9:16 am

      Again, I cite the treatment of Bush by liberals.? The rules should apply to everybody equally.?
      ?
      The Democrats stopped being about that somewhere in the early sixties.



    • crystal4 on March 5, 2012 at 9:47 am

      Seeerrriiously? How about Pres Clinton and his first lady…but what was totally abhorant was the mocking of Chelsea’s looks. She was a young child for god’s sake…who makes fun of a child???!!!! Now it’s Not only the president but the first lady again…horrible things about her looks…tasteless and idiotic.



    • Dimsdale on March 5, 2012 at 10:32 am

      Hmm.?? I remember Chelsea being “off limits” by the press et al.? I don’t know where you were hanging out.?? Of course, Bush’s daughters were up for grabs with the press, which effectively cancels that out.? But I digress.
      ?
      The point of this post was that Fluke put herself out there, using ridiculous stories, half truths and exaggerated costs to make her point.? It is the exaggerations that got her into trouble, but then, if the true costs were put out there, the whole bottom falls out of her story.? Of course, Limbaugh exaggerated on his end too, getting him some flak.
      ?
      The truth will set you free….



    • Dimsdale on March 5, 2012 at 10:34 am

      And please take the time to read Lynn’s post about the treatment Bill Clinton’s accusers received from Clinton mouthpieces and the press.



  20. lynn368 on March 5, 2012 at 5:30 pm

    The cost of birth control often takes a second seat to other factors, such as how well it works, or how easy it is to use; whether or not a woman can use the method – for example some women can not either take “the pill” or must take a more costly lower hormone dose due to a medical condition.?
    Someone surprised by the constant money drain of single use methods such as condoms might be happier with an IUD, which comes with a larger initial price tag but lasts longer. Similarly, being too frugal by opting for a ?free? but relatively ineffective method, such as fertility awareness or withdrawal, can easily lead to accidental pregnancy. A couple using no birth control has an 85 percent chance of becoming pregnant in one year. The Agriculture Department estimates that on average, middle-income couples spend around $12,500 per year per child.
    Birth Control Pills: The ?Pill,? introduced in the early 1960s, uses hormones (estrogen and progestin) to prevent pregnancy. Users have to take one pill a day and need a prescription from their doctor. On average, five out of every 100 women who rely on birth control pills will get pregnant. Birth control pills cost between $15 to $50 a month, depending on health insurance coverage and type…



  21. lynn368 on March 5, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    The initial exam can cost $45-$125. A follow-up visit can cost between $30-$60. The rate depends on the geographic location, type of health provider, popularity of the provider (read: female), and whether or not you’ve seen this provider before for other things. Nurses and PAs cost less than doctors do. OB/Gyns tend to charge more than other doctors do. Many health insurance policies cover the doctor visits, because these are the same as an annual exam. This holds true, even if the insurance doesn’t pay for the birth control pills. The cost of the pill is about $15-$25 or so a month. Generic brand pills cost less. Keep in mind that generics are not required to be exactly the same as the brand name pills. They must be within 20% of the original dosage. That means 20% more or less than the original pill. This is particularly important with birth control pills. A woman’s side effects and tolerance of a particular pill is closely related to the dosages of the various hormones contained in them. In short, you might have more side effects with a generic pill than its brand name equivalent.



    • Steve M on March 5, 2012 at 5:39 pm

      There is a reason I have a cut off for the length in comments. Please try to respect it. The length of your comment guaranteed I won’t read it (sorry). This is not your personal blog, read the terms of use.



  22. lynn368 on March 5, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    Steve – you are correct that $3000 is misleading. However – the generic brands available can not be used by all women. Different women require different prescriptions. Costs should factor in exams as well. Also – some can not use pills at all. Not trying to blog – trying to educate – I’m a nurse. Sorry too long. That’s the summary. No intention of becoming a ‘blogger’



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