CORRECTION APPENDED: This article originaly said the Deficit Reduction Act affected Medicare calculations. It changed Medicaid calculations.

Sex is getting more expensive for students.

The price of contraceptives has begun to climb as a result of the Deficit Reduction Act, a measure passed by Congress in February 2006 that changed Medicaid calculations and made it harder for manufacturers to sell their products to certain buyers - like universities - at discounted rates.

Since the bill went into effect in January, prices for prescription contraceptives have spiked.

Many universities and clinics that provide discounted contraceptives to low-income women and college students have been forced to raise their prices. Others, including University Health Service at the University of Michigan, are concerned about rising prices, said UHS chief pharmacist Gwendolyn Chivers.

Several organizations, including the American College Health Association, are lobbying for a reversal, Chivers said.

"It was something that happened inadvertently and we're trying to get it fixed," said Lori Lamerand, the president of Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance. "We consider birth control basic health care, but we simply, as an agency, cannot eat the cost."

Some clinics have seen prices for brand-name prescription contraceptives rise from as little as $5 a pack to $55.

"We've stockpiled some things so we haven't had to pass on the price increase to our patients," Lamerand said. "We're hoping it can last another two to three months."

Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, the most commonly prescribed brand of oral contraceptive, is available for about $20 per cycle at the 11 Planned Parenthood centers Lamerand oversees, including the two in Ann Arbor.

The price of the pill at UHS has hovered around $20 for the last few years. And because UHS stockpiled contraceptives before the law went into effect, it should stay that way - at least for several months.

"It's hard to gauge exactly how long the supply will last," Chivers said. "We have always made an effort to pass on any savings that we can to the student population. I think that it's an unfortunate situation that it's out of our hands right now."

How long the prices at UHS will remain constant depends on both demand and expiration date. The current packs of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo expire in September of next year, Chivers said.

UHS was one of the few local institutions that was able to buy ahead before the measure went in effect.

Without insurance, the same pack of pills costs $56.99 at the CVS on South Industrial Highway. At the Village Apothecary on South University Avenue, it costs $55.51.

At Michigan State University's Olin Health Center, the price of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo has jumped to roughly $50.

Some students said women on campus won't stop buying the pill in the event of a price increase.

"It's one of those things that even if the price increased, people still need to have it, so it doesn't make a difference," said LSA sophomore Ashlee Arder.

But those who don't have insurance - and part-time students who cannot use UHS's discounts - might not be able to pay the extra $20 or $30.