What Does It Cost To Cut $62 Million?
The hidden costs, from cash to cancer
Fri., April 22, 2011
• Increase the number of serious illnesses – such as cervical and breast cancers as well as STIs – diagnosed at more critical and costlier stages of illness
• Reduce birth spacing, posing increased health risks to mother and baby
• Increase the number of abortions
• Increase Medicaid costs
• Shift state money to less efficient providers (public providers spend $219 per client; federally qualified health centers spend $225; Planned Parenthood spends only $168)
• Leave displaced clients with inadequate alternatives (e.g., overwhelmed FQHCs already routinely return state money for reallocation)
The cuts will also drastically reduce access to the following preventative health care services:
• Annual gynecological exams
• Birth control
• Testing for hypertension, anemia, tuberculosis, and diabetes
• Screening for breast and cervical cancers
• Screening for sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS
• Counseling for pregnancy planning
• Reproductive health education
• Midlife and post-menopausal care
• Colposcopy and cryotherapy
• Prenatal care
• Infertility services
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