Monday, March 20, 2006

Protect your pills



People keep telling me I should just be quiet and pay for my pills. Well, first and foremost, this is not about me but about every other women out there. Access to contraception is vital for women's health! And the right to this basic health need is not being met. Pharmacists are refusing and insurance companies are not paying.

Some people have brought up the money issue. But I aim to prove this irrelevant. First of all, if it were about morality- insurance would not cover Viagra, and paying for birth control is much much cheaper than doctors bills, pre-natal work and the cost of delivering a child in the hospital -- not to mention maternity leave. I aim to prove that here...

Here are some facts for the day. This should get us talking...

--Sixty million women living in the U.S. are currently in their childbearing years (age 15 - 44 on average).

--Forty-two million of these women are sexually active and do not wish to become pregnant.

--Half of all indemnity (fee-for-service) insurance plans in the U.S. do not cover any reversible contraception.

--Women of reproductive age pay 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men in the same age group.

--Providing full contraceptive coverage in employment-based health care plans would cost employers, at most, only $21.40 per employee per year.

(Source: The Alan Guttmacher Institute)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

All that crap you talk about makes me wonder what kind of pills you're really on.

Sarah @ All The Book Blog Names Are Taken said...

Wow, yet another personal attack. Apparently people just don't get it, Tobes. I guess intelligent arguments were too much to ask for dear.

Anonymous said...

oh anonymous. i worry about you.

Tyler M Tupa said...

Adrienne, I totally agree with you, and your response makes me smile. :-)