Healthcare reform could make birth control more affordable

Lucy Berry Life Editor

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As the Institute of Medicine reports that the average woman spends

around 30 years of her life using birth control, the new health

reform law could make pregnancy prevention easier—and more

affordable—for millions of women across the United States as early

as next year.

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The controversial issue, which has sparked heated debates among

feminist groups, religious organizations and conservatives, will go

before a panel of experts next week, where they will determine

whether birth control and other services like pelvic exams and

mammograms are deemed “preventive care” and if they should be

covered by health care plans in the future. 

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For Emily Kelley, part-time coordinator with the UNA Women’s

Center, the advantage of offering free birth control such as pills,

intrauterine devices (IUD), patches and vaginal rings to women of

all social classes is a no-brainer. 

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“Anything that throws a wall up between a woman and the medicine

she needs is a bad thing,” she said. “It’s another step in the

empowerment of women, though it’s an issue that’s nowhere near

done. Women cannot rely on their partners alone to provide birth

control, so making sure that a woman can take care of that for

herself is vital.”

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Planned Parenthood’s CEO Sarah Stoez has been vocal about the

importance of achieving more affordable birth control in the U.S.

and hopes the new health reform law will require insurance

companies to cover the costs of contraception. 

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The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization in New York,

published a survey in 2007 that said one-third of women who take

birth control pills had to either stop or delay use because of the

high price of preventive prescriptions.

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“[Women] understand the injustice of having to pay for [birth

control] when men are not similarly required to make large

out-of-pocket expenses to maintain their own health,” Stoez

said.

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A 2009 report from the same New York-based institute stated that

publicly funded birth control methods save Americans $4 for every

$1 because they prevent approximately 2 million unexpected

pregnancies and 810,000 abortions every year. 

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Dr. Seaborn M. Chappell, obstetrician and gynecologist with OB/GYN

Associates of Northwest Alabama, said family planning is essential

in maintaining a woman’s health and the possibility of free birth

control only promotes wiser decision making.

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“Free birth control won’t make any difference in promiscuity among

sexually-active women,” he said. “Unintended pregnancies are one of

the biggest problems in the U.S., so it’s extremely important that

women look out for themselves and that they assume control. They

can’t rely on the judgment of a young man.”

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Though birth control is not currently considered a preventive

medicine by some insurance companies and can range in price from

$50 a month to $200-400 to have an IUD inserted, women with a lower

income can seek assistance in paying for birth control through

their local health department, which offers a “Plan First” program

through Medicaid and other family planning services. 

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The UNA Health and Wellness Center offers gynecological exams and

pap smears for women who have paid the student health fee, which is

$50 per semester. Nurse Practitioner Beth Dawson said young women

need to have a yearly exam after age 21 or three years after their

first sexual encounter. 

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If a student is interested in starting a birth control regimen, the

clinic writes prescriptions for women who can usually then obtain a

pack of pills for $9 per month at selected pharmacies, according to

Dawson. She said the clinic works to educate students about how to

use birth control effectively in order to prevent unintended

pregnancies. 

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“It doesn’t matter if birth control is free or not free—if it’s not

used correctly, it doesn’t matter how much it costs,” Dawson said.

“You see some of the more conservative people say it’s not a

preventive medicine but a lifestyle choice. A lot of it is

preventive care, though and is already available out there for free

or at a low cost.”

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently sent a letter to

the Department of Health and Human Services, relaying their

feelings about the possibility of fully-covered contraception in

the U.S. Spokesperson Richard Doerflinger believes the government

should not require all health insurance companies to cover birth

control because of some Americans’ religious beliefs about

pregnancy. 

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UNA student and employee with Rape Response Megan Williams thinks

free birth control and other related services would benefit society

as a whole.

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“I do think there are a lack of financial resources and awareness

out there that keep women from getting birth control,” she said.

“There have been more efforts in the last decade in many

organizations to raise awareness about why birth control is good

and I don’t see how it could be a bad thing in putting birth

control into the woman’s hands.”