Anniversary Comes as New Data Confirms Access to Affordable Birth Control
Reduces Unintended Pregnancy, Delivers Financial Savings to Taxpayers
NEW YORK, NY–(ENEWSFP)–July 31, 2013. With tomorrow marking the one year anniversary of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s women’s preventive health benefit, Planned Parenthood Federation of America today celebrated the fact that millions of women have already been able to receive no co-pay birth control, cancer screenings, and other preventive care. Approximately 47 million women nationally stand to benefit from the Affordable Care Act’s women’s preventive health care provision, including no co-pay birth control. Already, an estimated 27 million women nationally are benefiting from the preventive services provision which went into effect on August 1, 2012.
The anniversary of the benefit comes just as the Guttmacher Institute released new data showing that giving women access to affordable birth control, through publicly funded family planning services, helped prevent 2.2 million unintended pregnancies in 2010, which would have resulted in 1.1 million unplanned births and 760,000 abortions. Similarly, the women’s preventive health benefit is an important benefit of the ACA for women and families to make their own decisions and have a range of options available to them.
“This is the big story of the Affordable Care Act — the steady, historic progress for women that doesn’t grab headlines. Starting a year ago, women of all walks of life began to get both birth control and important well-woman checkups at no cost for the first time,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
“As the data released this week by the Guttmacher Institute confirms, these investments in women’s health services are giving them more control over their health, and are a great deal for taxpayers. For every $1 we invest in birth control services, we save nearly $6 in the long term.
“That’s why it is so deeply perplexing that some members of Congress continue to attack the women’s preventive benefit and Obamacare itself. We need to speak out, and support this law as loud as we can. We need to send a clear message to these politicians that Obamacare works. It works for women and families, and we’re not backing down.”
As members of Congress head home for August recess, Planned Parenthood Federation of America will be reminding them that “Obamacare Works,” urging them to focus on working together to make the law work, improve it, and help all Americans get access to the health care they need instead of re-fighting old political battles on health care.
Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood and other organizations submitted nearly 350,000 comments from the public, successfully urging the Obama administration to maintain the birth control benefit. The Department of Health and Human Services announced its final guidelines on the birth control benefit in June, making clear that everyone must have access to birth control at no cost, no matter where they work.
You can read more stories from supporters of the benefit here.
In June, Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control to two million women a year, released a new white paper describing the transformative effects of birth control on society, the ways in which the Affordable Care Act will exponentially expand that effect, and the urgent battle to move forward — not turn back the clock — on ensuring women’s access to basic preventive health care.
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With nearly 750 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.
Source: plannedparenthood.org
