Contraceptives should be classified as preventative health care for insurance coverage

Thanks to CON for clarifying the scope of the debate.So far in this debate, the following areas of agreement have been reached:CON agrees that insurance companies should cover contraceptives, just not all contraceptives in all circumstances. This is hyperbolic, and is not being argued in this debate.CON has dropped the contention that contraceptives and family planning should be categorized as part of the preventive care amendment in the Affordable Care Act, saying that he does not feel that it is a relevant point. "Preventive Care" can be defined as "a pattern of nursing and medical care that focuses on disease prevention and health maintenance. It includes early diagnosis of disease, discovery and identification of people at risk of development of specific problems, counseling, and other necessary intervention to avert a health problem. Screening tests, health education, and immunization programs are common examples of preventive care." These concessions are important to this debate, because we have settled the issue of whether or not contraceptives are key to women’s health care, are correctly categorized legislatively as “Preventive Care” in the Affordable Care Act, and that insurance companies are justified in providing contraception to their policy holders. I feel that these concessions fulfill my requirements in upholding the resolution.I will continue the debate by addressing the remaining areas of contention.Contention 1:Pregnancy is a health related issue that needs to be managed, and therefore may need to be prevented or postponed in some circumstances.At several points in this debate, CON has disagreed with this statement. Some examples: - Being pregnant is not a health problem nor is preventing pregnancy the goal of preventive care.- In my opinion, being pregnant is not a health problem.- Being pregnant is a not a detrimental health issue and pregnancy prevention is not a goal of preventive care. The fact is, that women must be mature and informed about the decision to become pregnant. Pregnancy is a wonderful part of womanhood, and is a major life goal for most women. However, in order for it to be the safe and healthful event that it should be, it must be adequately prepared for. Otherwise, the consequences can be severe, and can include death for the mother and the baby. According to the World Health Organization, the main causes of maternal death are:"Severe bleeding/hemorrhage (25%) Infections (13%) Usafe Abortions (13%) Eclampsia (12%) Obstructed labor (8%) Other direct causes (8%) Indirect causes (20%) Indirect causes, such as anemia, HIV/AIDS and other ailments. all of which may complicate pregnancy or be aggravated by it." [1]Obviously, all of these risks associated with pregnancy can be prevented with proper contraceptive use. The seriousness of pregnancy as a potential health risk is underscored by a rise in deaths among American women, as well. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that, "The rate of severe complications during and after delivery have also doubled in the last decade, according to a 2012 federal study. Near-misses, where a woman nearly dies, increased by 27 percent." [2] Considering the potential health risks that can accompany pregnancy, especially unmanaged pregnancies, no argument that suggests that Pregnancy is not a "disease or detrimental health condition and therefore never requires medical care, prevention or postponement" can be credible. The fact is that contraception is critical to controlling the timing of pregnancies, allowing for higher levels of preparation for this important life event. Contraception is critical in averting the serious health problems that can be associated with uncontrolled pregnancy.Contention 2:Pregnancy is only a choice if contraception is available.CON seems to be suggesting that some unnamed aspect of pregnancy makes women undeserving of medical care, explicitly arguing that since it is a "choice" it should not be prevented by insurance. However, the only way that pregnancy can be considered a "choice" is if pregnancy can be controlled, which requires contraception. There are many other issues with this argument that also need to be mentioned.Female Sexuality ArgumentsCON often seems to be suggesting that abstinence as a contraceptive method should be a first resort for women who wish to prevent pregnancy until they are better prepared for maternity. For many reasons this view is degrading to women, couples and families. It also implies a goal of enforcing female chastity by using pregnancy as a punishment for sexual activity. As I showed in the previous round, most women who are at risk for unplanned pregnancy are married, since more married women have more frequent sexual encounters than their single counterparts. Attempting to punish these women for having sex with their spouses is a gross violation of the intimate lives of these partners. An inability to control the frequency of pregnancy can cause resources, nutrition and proper care to be divided up among too many children, which can negatively impact the health of the family.CON also seems to suggest that pregnancy and sexual relations are personal choices, akin to working in a hazardous occupation or eating unhealthy foods. He seems to feel that this factor excludes pregnancy as a health condition that deserves to be managed or prevented with help from a health policy. If this view is allowed to stand, then all such choices should also be excluded as conditions that should be covered by insurance. For example, should soldiers or firefighters who make the personal decision to risk their health not be covered by insurance if they are injured in the line of duty? Should high cholesterol be excluded by health care plans since the personal choice to eat fatty foods may have caused it? Pregnancy and the related health impacts are prevented by contraceptives, in exactly the same way that flu shots prevent influenza. The extreme costs of health care make preventive options impossible for almost all Americans without insurance. Many preventive medical procedures are unaffordable without insurance. For example, mamograms can cost up to $600 [3]; a colonoscopy can cost as much as $8,500 [4]; and a pap smear can range up to $200 [5]. To regularly conduct all of these preventive health care measures would be cost prohibitive... which is why the concept of health insurance was created. To protect against the possibly unaffordable cost of health care, a person purchases health insurance. Con argues that it is a matter of personal responsibility to pay for one's own preventive health care, and that other people should not pay for your personal upkeep. However, with any insurance plan, other policy holders will "pay" for your claims. In the case of health care, other people will pay for your hospital visits, Doctor's Office visits, and preventive care. And they, in turn, will pay for yours. This is just how all insurance policies work.Conclusions:Health insurance plans should make contraceptives available as part of their preventive care options. This allows more women to prepare for more healthful pregnancies and prevents many of the negative health effects of too many nonviable pregnancies.[1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2]http://www.stltoday.com... [3] http://clearhealthcosts.com... [4] http://www.nytimes.com... [5] http://cervicalcancer.about.com...