Contraceptives should be classified as preventative health care for insurance coverage

Contraceptives as Preventive Care Health care providers, women and insurers all have every reason to prefer contraception over the costs and health impact of unintended pregnancy. Perhaps more importantly, women have every right to ask for the ability to control the timing, spacing and frequency at which pregnancy occurs.This debate has focused primarily on the potential negative health impacts of mistimed pregnancy, in order to support the view that contraception presents a less expensive treatment option for insurers when compared to managing crises that often result from unhealthy pregnancies. Many other areas of focus had to be ignored, such as the fairness of allowing men to enjoy erectile-dysfunction medication while denying contraception coverage to women, and the very basic right of women to control their reproductive fate. For the record, I personally regret not having had the opportunity to elaborate on this basic human right. Covered in This Debate Perhaps surprisingly, considering the potential ranges of topics associated with this subject, this debate has centered on the question of whether or not pregnancy qualifies as a medical condition that might incur costs, and potentially cause negative health effects that should be avoided. For this reason, I will focus on underscoring the arguments made on this aspect of the debate in the final round. Is Pregnancy a Medical Condition that Might Reasonably Require Medical Care? Repeatedly, Con has stated that pregnancy is not a problem for women. The truth is far different. In fact, pregnancy is very often lethal for women without medical treatment. Women require competent medical care in order to enjoy a healthful and safe pregnancy. The unacceptably high number of maternity related deaths among women who are unable to obtain such care proves this fact. Con says that pregnancy is not a disease, or a harmful health condition that needs to be managed. However, in order for this to be true, pregnant women require medical attention. Maternity related death is a major problem for women and newborn infants in regions that lack adequate health care. http://www.childinfo.org...; /> http://www.debate.org...;[1] Additionally, even developed nations such as the United States often struggle to control the number of deaths associated with pregnancy. http://www.cdc.gov...; />[2] http://www.debate.org...And the causes of death among pregnant women help to underscore the unavoidable conclusion that pregnancy can cause very severe health consequences that are very likely to require medical care. http://www.cdc.gov...; /> [3] http://www.debate.org...;Con repeatedly argues that pregnancy is not a health problem that should be managed or in some cases prevented. However, becoming pregnant is always a serious medical event, and is often fatal. Without modern medical techniques, childbirth would be one of the leading causes of mortality among women. [4] Even healthy pregnancies require assistance and incur costs that can be offset by insurance. However, there are many types of pregnancy, and many associated health conditions. Con has never argued that these adverse health conditions should not be prevented.The Benefits of Preventing Unwanted PregnancySpacing and Timing of Pregnancies Women must provide adequate intervals between pregnancies in order to prevent a wide range of health problems that can result from spacing pregnancies too close together. Some of the negative health effects of rapidly sequenced pregnancies can include: -Preterm delivery -low birth weight -Uterine Rupture in vaginal deliveries that follow too closely to a C-Section -Placental Abruption (placenta detaches from the uterus) [5] Improved Prenatal Care Besides pregnancy spacing, contraceptives also allow for controlled pregnancies. A woman who was not intending to become pregnant may not quickly detect her pregnancy, and therefore not provide important health care and nutrition to her gestating baby. Maternal Depression Becoming pregnant is a key life event for most women. Unwanted pregnancies can cause severe depression, triggering inadequate maternal care.Paternal and Familial Involvement A critical component of a healthy birth outcome is the involvement level of the child's father and other family members. This involvement provides healthful assistance to the mother (both before and after delivery) as well as the infant. Benefits to Insurance ProvidersIn addition to the obvious health benefits of controlled pregnancies, there are numerous cost savings to insurance providers. Despite the fact that comprehensive family planning services such as implants, surgical procedures, self-administered and hormonal contraception may be unaffordable for many individual women, family planning is inexpensive for insurers. This is especially true when we consider that insurance companies will pay explosive costs associated with mistimed, unprepared for, and nonviable pregnancies - many of which can present lifetimes of expensive treatments. Contraceptives are very effective in preventing these accidental pregnancies, when used correctly. http://www.guttmacher.org... Source Ref: http://www.guttmacher.org...; /> [6]http://www.debate.org... Additionally, insurance plan providers have a powerful interest in preventing unwanted pregnancies.The costs of health maintenance during and after a pregnancy are explosive, especially if there are complications associated with that pregnancy. Since half of all pregnancies are unplanned, the cost saving to insurers that might be expected to result from prevention practices offers an overwhelming argument in favor of contraception. http://www.childinfo.org... Source link: http://www.guttmacher.org...; />http://www.debate.org... [7] A Clear DecisionContraception helps to protect the health of women and babies, as well as serving the best financial interests of insurers and overburdened health care providers. [1]http://www.debate.org... [2]http://www.guttmacher.org... [3]http://www.guttmacher.org...[4] http://en.m.wikipedia.org...[5] http://www.mayoclinic.com... [6] http://www.guttmacher.org... [7] http://www.guttmacher.org...