HPV Vaccine Out of Reach for College Students (AlterNet)

[marmar]

HPV Vaccine Out of Reach for College Students

By Jill Filipovic, AlterNet. Posted March 13, 2007.



College campuses are breeding grounds for HPV, the virus that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer. A new vaccine offers protection, but many students can't afford it.

A new vaccine that protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the cervical cancer it can cause could be an invaluable contribution to women's health. With 80 percent of women contracting some form of HPV before they turn 50 and 3,700 women dying of cervical cancer every year in the United States alone, the vaccine's "Tell Someone" campaign is about more than selling shots -- it's about saving lives. But for the thousands of women who rely on student insurance for their healthcare costs, the vaccine remains out of reach.

Eight months after the Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccine Gardasil for women and girls between ages 9 and 26, many universities do not cover it under their student health plans. Others do not even stock it at their health centers, leaving many college-aged women worried about how they can best protect themselves against HPV.

Fran Gillespie, a senior at New York University, is one of these women. When she went home for winter break this December, she found out that one of her friends had contracted HPV and developed pre-cancerous cells from the virus. Gillespie, who had never heard of HPV before her friend's experience, made an appointment with her private gynecologist to be immunized -- only to be told that she would have to pay nearly $400 because her NYU student insurance did not cover Gardasil. She cancelled the appointment, deciding to wait until she returned to campus.

"I was sure that NYU could provide the same service," Gillespie said. "And because it's for students, they would offer a rate that students can afford." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/49146/

[nodehopper]

1. this is exactly why it should be mandated

people who don't want it can always opt out. And the people who DO want it, and aren't part of the wealthy elites, will be able to actually get it.

Also NYU totally sucks about all vaccines; they are insanely expensive, and none of them are covered under the student insurance. I had to get a series of "optional" vaccines through them, and it cost me over $500 out of pocket. ("optional" as in, I had to get them to do my graduate field work). Most schools won't cover vaccines unless they are mandated; as long as the HPV vaccine is considered optional, it will be unaffordable and unaccessible to many.

[alarimer]

4. I agree.

That seems to be the only way insurance companies will cover it. Or mandate that insurance plans cover it, the way some states have done for birth control.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. disagree - two clear reasons

It doesn't have to be mandated.

1. The vaccine is not mandated but is available in NC for those who can't afford it.

2. If mandated, then Merck is released from liability and criminal charges for damages caused
by the vaccine.

Merck's lobbying and ad campaign and influence over groups like
WOMEN in GOVERNMENT has falsely convinced people that this vaccine MUST
be mandated.

Gardasil MUST be mandated in order to HPV -
Help Pay for Viox

I oppose mandating this brand new vaccine on an entire generation of girls.

Its too new to know if it can be trusted, there have been serious side effects already,
regardless of whether Merck wants to downplay it.

This should be examined carefully by experts who do not receive financial compensation
from Merck.

The FDA, unfortunately, gets about half of its funding from the companies whose
products it says are safe.

Thats how Viox was unleashed on innocents like my mother.

[nodehopper]

7. it's vioxx, not viox

source, please, that shows that the vaccine is readily available in NC for those who cannot afford it.

Also an analogous source for Texas, please.

Also while the USFDA may be in bed with Merck, that is not the case with all the other countries around the world that are using this vaccine.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Why is it so bloody expensive?

It astonishes me that something that should be in very high demand would be so costly.

[marmar]

3. And I'm sure it doesn't need to be....

I wonder what it costs in Europe and Canada?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

6. Probably because it's taken YEARS to develop

My ex-gf was part of the clinical testing for the vaccine, and she first had it about 7 or 8 years, IIRC. (She was also only one of hundreds of thousands of women involved in the test.) And, as part of the test, she had to return to the main testing facility every 6 months for about 6 years to be monitored and so forth. They paid for her flights down to the center.

Multiply all that cost by 6 or 7 years and then by the amount of people involved in the testing and you'll realize why the finished product is so expensive.