Adequate Funding and Policies for Reproductive Health Services Lacking in the United States
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- The unmet need for reproductive health services and education contributes to an estimated three million unintended pregnancies each year, approximately half of all births in the United States.
In a new position statement , the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials encourages the federal government to provide adequate funding for reproductive health services and to develop flexible policy and funding mechanisms that allow programs to address the specific needs of the populations served.
ASTHO favors implementation of policies that promote public and private insurance coverage for contraceptives as a basic preventive health benefit, including expansion of Medicaid coverage for family planning services without requiring a Section 1115 waiver.
Every dollar spent on services provided by publicly funded family planning clinics saves Medicaid an estimated $4.02 in pregnancy-related and newborn care costs. In 2004, publicly funded clinics saved federal and state governments an estimated $4.3 billion. A CMS funded study found that expansions in family planning services were not only budget neutral but also resulted in significant cost savings of as much as $30 million in one instance.
Despite these savings, funding for Title X in constant dollars is 61 percent lower today than it was in FY 1980. Medicaid is the major source of public funds for family planning services, providing 71 percent of the $1.85 billion spent by federal and state governments in 2006.
Despite these savings and considering inflation, funding for Title X in constant dollars is 61 percent lower today than it was in FY 1980. Medicaid is the major source of public funds for family planning services, providing 71 percent of the $1.85 billion spent by federal and state governments in 2006.
Please visit ASTHO's Maternal and Child Health program for more information.
About ASTHO
ASTHO is the national non-profit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the 120,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice. ASTHO's vision is healthy people thriving in a nation free of preventable illness and injury.