The Economics of Birth Control

In case you haven’t heard, the US economy is in the midst of a horrible, downward spiral called Recession. We all know this, right? What a lot of people don’t know is that women spend 68% more on health care costs than men. Because many women do not have insurance that provides contraceptive coverage, they bear the burden of paying out of pocket, month after month. When 95% of a population uses a health-related product or service, it’s pretty safe to call this product or service basic health care.

Population Connection cites “…research shows that full contraceptive coverage would cost the employer, at most, $24.40 per employee per year. While birth control pills cost an average of $300-$359 per year, the average cost of having a healthy baby is $10,000. The fact is that not covering contraception in employee health plans costs employers 15-17% more in direct and indirect costs than providing coverage. “

In an economy such as ours, everyone is doing all they can to stay afloat. It is absolutely wrong not to cover contraceptives. Not covering them makes no economic sense for our nation and it does not make financial sense for businesses….which begs the question: Would contraceptive equity even be an issue if men used birth control? I doubt it. Let’s call it what it is…it is sexism and classism. It is unfair and unacceptable. The Michigan Civil Rights Commission ruled that employers who exclude prescription contraceptives from their health plans (when other prescription drugs and devices are covered) violate the prohibition against sex discrimination. They have determined that not providing contraceptives as a part of a basic health insurance plan is discrimination…and I agree 100%.