Study Urges Expansion of Medicaid Coverage to Prevent Unintended Pregnancies
A new study published in the Summer 2006 issue of the Guttmacher Policy Review contends that expanding Medicaid coverage to include contraception could dramatically cut the number of unintended pregnancies occurring nationwide. According to “Rekindling Efforts to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy: A Matter of ‘Equity and Common Sense’,” expanding Medicaid coverage for contraception so that it matches Medicaid coverage for pregnancy-related care would enable low-income women to prevent a total of nearly 500,000 unwanted pregnancies annually, including 200,000 abortions. By helping them to prevent an estimated 225,000 unwanted births, such an expansion would also save $1.5 billion in annual federal and state expenditures. The study uses the new findings to make the case for doing more to help low-income American women prevent unwanted pregnancies. Click here to read more
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