New research shows value of family planning
While you might know your work in family planning is important, new research confirms it. Approximately 1.4 million unintended pregnancies and 600,000 abortions are averted each year in the United States each year due to family planning services.1
In addition to the benefits of averting unplanned pregnancies, the analysis finds that family planning services save $4.3 billion in public funds. For every dollar spent to provide services in the publicly funded family planning clinic network, a little more than four dollars in Medicaid expenses on births are averted, researchers estimate.
"These new data add to the growing body of evidence that investing in publicly funded contraceptive services can make an enormous impact on helping women reduce unintended pregnancies, abortions, and unplanned births, all while saving money," says Lawrence Finer, PhD, director of domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute and study coauthor. "Investing in a prevention strategy is more important now than ever, as the number of women who need publicly funded contraceptive services has increased by more than 1 million since 2000."
Publicly funded family planning clinics provide contraceptive services to approximately seven million women each year, according to Guttmacher Institute estimates. Without these services, the annual number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the United States would be almost 50% higher, researchers state.1
Family planning services are critical when it comes to teens. Researchers estimate 20% of the pregnancies averted would occur among teenagers. In the absence of publicly funded services, there would be nearly 50% (290,000) more teen pregnancies, researchers state. These additional pregnancies would result in about 150,000 unplanned births and 100,000 abortions.1
Economy makes impact
More women are in need of publicly funded services, says Jennifer Frost, DrPH, a senior research associate at the institute and study co-author. This increase is due to several factors, she notes. "First, and most important, is the increase in the number and proportion of women who are poor or low income due to economic factors," she states. "In addition, there has been a small increase in the number of all women who are of reproductive age."
Frost, in an examination of U.S. women's use of reproductive health services, reports that receipt of contraceptive services among American women rose from 36% to 41% between 1995-2002.2 However, the overall receipt of sexual and reproductive health care services remained constant, with 74% of women reporting use of such services.2
Why did receipt of services go up? There are a number of likely reasons, says Frost. "First, the mix of contraceptive methods that women used changed somewhat. Fewer women chose to become sterilized in their 30s and were continuing to use methods, like the Pill or other hormonal methods, that need ongoing services from medical providers," she notes. "Similarly, fewer women were using condoms as their primary method and instead were using pills, etc., again, shifting from methods that need little or no support from a medical provider to methods that need regular visits."
Some evidence points to a portion of the increase in service use occurred among more affluent women with private insurance; so perhaps improved contraceptive coverage contributed to the shifts, says Frost.
Publicly funded clinics played a critical role in this increase, states Frost. One-quarter of all women who received a contraceptive service did so from a clinic, and the mix of services provided to clinic clients was broader than the mix of services provided by private doctors to their clients, she states.
Women also rely on family planning clinics for a range of other important services, research indicates. One in three women (33%) who received HIV testing or STD testing, treatment or counseling in 2002 did so at a publicly funded clinic, as did 17% of all women who had a Pap test or pelvic exam.2 (See box, to review what types of services are offered at publicly funded clinics.)
According to Guttmacher Institute research, of the 36.2 million women in need of contraceptive services in 2006, 17.5 million were in need of publicly funded services and supplies because they were either younger than 20 or had an income below 250% of the federal poverty level. Among the 17.5 million women in need of publicly funded contraceptive care, 29% (5.1 million) were younger than 20, and 71% (12.4 million) were poor or low-income adult women.3 (Editor's note: To download the Guttmacher Institute fact sheet, "Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States," go to www.guttmacher.org and click on "Contraception," then the fact sheet title under "Fact Sheets.")
References
- Frost JJ, Finer LB, Tapales A. The impact of publicly funded family planning clinic services on unintended pregnancies and government cost savings. J Health Care Poor Unders 2008; 19:778-796.
- Frost JJ. Trends in U.S. women's use of sexual reproductive health care services, 1995-2002. Am J Pub Health 2008; published online ahead of print Aug. 13, 2008. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.124719.
- Guttmacher Institute. Facts on Publicly Funded Contraceptive Services in the United States. Fact sheet. Accessed at www.guttmacher.org/pubs.
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