How Much Does Birth Control Cost?
By EOM Staff
President Obama’s health care plan was intended to make health care more affordable and more accessible to all Americans. The Republicans have attacked that idea and turned the discussion to whether or not insurances should cover birth control. We are not talking about religiously affiliated employers….we are now talking about any employer. Republicans would like to make it so your employer can choose not to cover birth control because he may have a “moral objection” to it.
Some GOP hopefuls have recently stated that birth control isn’t very expensive. The average American woman will spend 30 years of her life trying to prevent pregnancy. If her insurance doesn’t cover contraception, here are the estimated costs….
A shot 4 times a year for 30 years = $32,000
An IUD that has to be replaced every 5 – 7 years = $17,000
The pill (the most effective and most common form of contraception) = $67,000!
That’s almost $2300 a year, for 30 years! Not very expensive? Imagine being a low-income woman trying to prevent pregnancy and having to spend almost $200 a month for contraception! It’s expensive even for a professional woman with a good income.
Contraception is basic health care for women. Allowing insurance companies and/or employers to choose not to cover it, will only result in even more unplanned pregnancies, more children and families living in poverty, and fewer opportunities for education for those children.
It’s all part of the continued war on women. Take away our reproductive rights and we are kept out of the workplace (it’s hard to hold down a job when you have a baby every 18 months) and our ability to support our families is drastically reduced.
Apparently, the GOP didn’t pay attention to statistical analysis of the voters in 2008. Almost 2 million more women than men voted that year. And we will be out in force this year….voting against anyone who wants to take away our rights!