The pill was introduced 50 years ago and was considered a birth control revolution, and with the new healthcare law, it appears that one part of the plan includes free contraception for women in the US. That could start a shift toward more reliable — and expensive — forms of birth control that are gaining acceptance in other developed countries. But this brings up social and moral problems.
In November a panel of so called experts will meet and decide what kind of preventive care for women should be covered at no cost to the patient, as required under President Barack Obama’s overhaul. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., author of the women’s health amendment, says the clear intent was to include family planning. But others say that birth control isn’t preventive medicine.
“There is clear and incontrovertible evidence that family planning saves lives and improves health,” said obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. David Grimes, an international family planning expert who teaches medicine at the University of North Carolina. “Contraception rivals immunization in dollars saved for every dollar invested. Spacing out children allows for optimal pregnancies and optimal child rearing. Contraception is a prototype of preventive medicine.” Netscape
Catholic Bishops oppose the idea, saying pregnancy is a healthy condition, not an illness. The bishops say they oppose any requirement to cover contraceptives or sterilization as preventive care, in a document filed with the Department of Health and Human Services. They say it’s not a healthcare choice but a lifestyle choice. They believe there are other methods of birth control rather than ingesting chemicals.
Some say they are concerned about any requirement that might include the morning-after pill. The Food and Drug Administration classifies it as birth control; some religious conservatives see it as an abortion drug.
Jeanne Monahan, a health policy expert at the conservative Family Research Council, said her group would oppose any mandate that lacks a conscience exemption for moral and religious reasons. She said there’s “great suspicion” that a major abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, is leading the push for free birth control. Netscape
And back as far as t he 1990s many health insurance plans didn’t cover birth control. Today, almost all plans now cover prescription contraceptives. So does Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people. The National Center for Health Statistics show nearly 93 million prescriptions for contraceptives were dispensed in 2009. Generic versions of the pill are available at Walmart stores, for example, for $9 a month.
Stats also show that nearly 1/2 of all pregnancies are unplanned. Advocates say free birth control would begin to address the problem. It would remove the barrier of cost that keeps many women from obtaining active birth control.
The Contraceptive CHOICE Project is providing free birth control to as many as 10,000 women, tracking their decisions and the results. About 70 percent have chosen long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs (intrauterine devices) or implants, which are reversible and have a much lower failure rate than pills or condoms. The proportion of U.S. women using such methods remains low; part of the reason seems to be higher upfront cost. Netscape
It’s still unknown how the Obama law will implement the contraception plan.
