As part of the month-long debate, we heard over and over again, “What does family planning have to do with stimulating the economy?” We heard criticisms of the family planning provision as wasteful and arguments that family planning services would not create jobs or improve the economy.

Yet those of us who work in the reproductive health field, as well as many outside the field, know how closely related the economy and reproductive health are.

Many individuals have lost their jobs and therefore no longer have health insurance. And many are struggling to afford birth control or preventive services like cancer screenings. There has already been a dramatic increase in the number of clients who must rely on community clinics. When family planning services are not available to these vulnerable families, they may face unplanned pregnancies and the financial and emotional stresses that can bring.

Family planning services can and do help the economy and Americans’ quality of life.

When individuals have access to preventive services, they have better health outcomes. This results in lower health care costs for companies, for the state and for the federal government. When family planning services are available, women and their partners are more likely to have planned pregnancies. This reduces the number of unplanned pregnancies. When a pregnancy is planned, women are more likely to get prenatal care, which results in lower health care costs for babies and the mother. And when individuals can plan their families, they have a greater ability to pursue education or gain valuable work experience.

This impact on the economy and on Americans’ lives is real. In fact, the family planning provision that was stripped from the stimulus package would have saved the Federal government $200 million over five years and $700 million over ten years through preventing unplanned pregnancies. Every dollar spent on preventing unplanned pregnancies saves $4.02 in Medicaid expenditures that would be spent on pregnancy-related care.

The provision would have also saved money by reducing the amount of paperwork needed to get federal funding for family planning. It would have given states the option to provide coverage for family planning services under Medicaid for all women eligible for Medicaid funded pregnancy care without applying for a waiver. As we well know in California with the Family PACT program, the process of applying for waivers and for extensions can be lengthy and costly. These savings, a direct result of funding for reproductive health, would have had a significant effect.

There is hope!

Despite our disappointment over the exclusion of this provision, advocates are pleased that President Obama has taken a number of steps to advance reproductive health care in his first few months in office.

ARRA: The ARRA did include significant investments supporting services at community health centers. These dollars are for infrastructure – including health information systems – employment, maintenance of effort, and expansion of services to uninsured and underinsured individuals and families. This funding will undoubtedly help those individuals and families struggling to access health services, including reproductive health services.

Omnibus Spending Bill: The FY09 Omnibus Spending Bill increased funding for Title X by $7.5 million. In addition, it decreased funding for the community-based abstinence education (CBAE) programs by $14 million. The bill also reverses a 2006 change to federal law that has prevented many university health centers from receiving very low (“nominal”) prices on contraceptives and other drugs. This change will now allow these health centers to provide students with affordable birth control methods.

On the international level, the bill includes a $32 million increase for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Family Planning/Reproductive Health program and $50 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This funding will improve access to reproductive health services, including HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, and prevention and treatment of maternal health conditions.

Looking Ahead in Reproductive Health

There is a lot to look forward to over the next few years in the field of reproductive health, including economic recovery and the inclusion of reproductive health funding in this process. Most anticipatory is the Medicaid family planning expansion as part of President Obama’s health care reform plan, and this expansion is in the budget framework that the President presented to Congress in late February. Detailed budget proposals for FY2010 will be unveiled in May, and we are optimistic that it will include not only the expansion of Medicaid funded family planning, but also significantly increased funding for Title X.

This is a very exciting time to be involved in health care. It is critically important to communicate with your elected officials and the Obama Administration, letting them know how important the Title X family planning program and the Medicaid waiver programs are to your communities. Let them know that reproductive health is directly related to the economy, and that funding for these programs will benefit the economy and the lives of Americans across the country.

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