Free Birth Control For American Women!

Women have been shelling out the dough for birth control for years in the US, but it seems some relief may be on the horizon.

On Tuesday, health experts on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel issued a recommendation to the government to push health insurance companies to fully cover birth control. This means that co-payments and deductibles would no longer be required under the Affordable Care Act, signed by Barack Obama last year.

“Contraception — along with such care as diabetes tests during pregnancy and screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer — was one of eight recommended preventive services for women,” according to The Associated Press.

For countless US women, affordable birth control would be a blessing. You know how big the problem is when even a woman who works for a health insurance company, and her coverage includes preventative reproductive health services, can’t get the type of contraception she wants because she has to pay $1,200 up front for it. “Cost often determines whether a woman is able to choose and maintain her most appropriate method of birth control, especially during hard times,” said Vanessa Cullins, an obstetrician-gynecologist and vice president for medical affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Cullins believes that doing away with co-payments will ultimately save taxpayers’ money and improve women’s health. It will lower the amount of abortions US women have each year as well and decrease teen pregnancies. “Compared with their peers, teenage mothers are less likely to graduate from high school or attain an equivalency diploma; they also make less money and require more federal aid,” she says.

As of right now “nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned,” says Cullins. If approved, there are high hopes that the number of unplanned pregnancies will significantly decrease. Contrary to popular belief, women’s health care will not cost the country more money.

In any case, money should not be at the heart of the issue when these are essential health services that women need. We are finally facing a loud call for a major system overhaul.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com