Prevention Works –
Family Planning prevents abortions and saves Minnesota Taxpayers Money

Fully Fund Family Planning at 2004 Levels

THE MEDICAID WAIVER IS GOOD NEWS

• More women will have access to family planning services. This will save money the government now spends on the consequences of unintended pregnancy.

AND BAD NEWS

• The reimbursement rate under the waiver may covers only 50% of a family planning clinic visit.

• A couple earning over $25,000 does not qualify for the waiver. (That equates to $9.20/hour.) 

• The price of contraceptives is often more than these couples can afford.

         
WE NEED STATE FAMILY PLANNING MONEY TO COMPLEMENT THE WAIVER

• Last year family planning funding was cut 48% in anticipation that the waiver would cover costs.

• Some smaller clinics filling the health disparities gap may be forced out of business.

• The waiver will not fund:  Educational outreach, the Hot Line at the Family Tree serving more than 5,000 callers a year, new populations of legal immigrants here for less than five years, translation services for hearing and vision impaired.

FUNDING BIRTH CONTROL SAVES MONEY AND PREVENTS ABORTIONS
* $1 spent on family planning saves over $3 in public pregnancy and medical costs.
* Nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, half of which end in abortion.
* Preventing unintended pregnancies reduces the need for abortion.
* More than 90% of women at risk of unintended pregnancy use a contraceptive method. But nearly 50% of unintended pregnancies occur to 7% of women who are not using a contraceptive.
* Over half of women at or below 200% of the poverty level become unintentionally pregnant.
* Women age 20-34 account for most unintended pregnancies. Contraception is critical to helping these women realize their family size goals.

In Minnesota, 158 publicly funded clinics provide contraceptive care to 103,880 women helping to prevent 20,900 unintended pregnancies each year.  More than 253,000 additional women are in need of publicly supported family planning services.

State Family Planning money does NOT pay for abortion or abortion referral service.
 
Information from Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2004 www.guttmacher.org and the MN Dept. of Health, www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/mch/familyplanning

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