Contraceptives should be classified as preventative health care for insurance coverage

Thanks for the debate so far. We will have to stick to the schedule and scope that we agreed to in the first round. That means that CON will "be arguing that contraceptives should NOT be classified as preventative health care for the purpose of insurance coverage," and I will be arguing that "Contraceptives SHOULD be classified as preventative care for the purpose of insurance coverage."This will allow for a full debate on whether or not the new provisions should, or should not, be included within the ACA provisions.It's impossible to argue that "all" conceivable types of contraception and birth control should be made available through the new health care reform laws. The reforms do not allow for any and all forms of contraception to be made available everyone, but only provides for specific methods of determining which contraceptives will be covered. Most of these decisions will be made by the insurance companies themselves.Opening Argument, Background and Statistics The ACA includes an amendment that seeks to increase access and reduce cost barriers to very basic family planning and women’s health services. These services will be needed by every healthy woman at some point in her life. Contraception and reproductive health care cannot be removed from the larger topic of women's health care. Every woman will require some form of these services throughout her reproductive life in order to prevent unintended pregnancies and related health care needs.Contraception is not only critical to the health of women, but also crucial for healthy pregnancies and babies. A woman who is unaware that she is pregnant may forgo important health considerations that she and her baby need. Contraceptives play an important role in helping to ensure that more pregnancies are planned, provided for, and healthy. Fact Sheet: - Most women who use contraceptives are married. (77%) - 98% of all women who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method. - More than half of all American women will experience an unintended pregnancy before the age of 45 - Cost barriers to pregnancy prevention are a major factor in the rate of unplanned pregnancy, and the related health impact. The rate of unplanned pregnancy is five times higher among poor women. [5] http://www.debate.org...What is covered by the Affordable Care Act?The ACA requires employer sponsored health plans to offer contraception without a co-pay. There are exeptions for providers with demonstrated moral objections to family planning, such as religious institutions. Additionally, only a specific list of FDA-approved, female-based contraceptives may be covered. The insurance providers determine what each individual plan will cover.Why was pregnancy prevention added to the new health reform laws? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, some 71 million Americans will benefit, or have already benefited, from preventive medical procedures without cost sharing burdens thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Many of these Americans are women, who may now qualify for pregnancy postponement options that might have otherwise been unavailable to them. [1] This is important, because unexpected pregnancies are the leading factor in elective abortions, and play an outsized role in the rate of miscarriages that occur each year. Almost half of all pregnancies are unplanned. [2] Why should family planning services be classified as Preventive care? The purpose of contraception is to prevent unwanted and unintended pregnancy, and the related health impact and costs. The preventive nature of contraception makes this area the most common-sense form of classification. What associated medical conditions can proper contraceptive use prevent? Postponing pregnancy can benefit public health in important ways. Some of these benefits include creating better opportunities for families to prepare for an ideal pregnancy, helping to prevent fetal and infant illness, and a greatly reduced likelihood of abortion. Women who cannot afford to provide a healthful environment for their offspring benefit the most from low-cost, safe pregnancy prevention. Proper family planning can help women have healthier babies, healthier pregnancies and improved postpartum health. These provisions can also prevent some very serious medical costs and conditions later. These medical concerns can pose a very serious risk for newborn infants and mothers alike. Although healthy women can benefit greatly from pregnancy postponement and reproductive health care, women who may be unable to deliver a full term baby safely will also benefit from preventing the potential medical consequences of pregnancy. Preventive reproductive women’s health services can help to reduce the high costs of unintended pregnancy in at-risk populations. Although these costs are economic and social as well as medical, it is the medical toll that is most relevant to this debate. Some of these potential consequences are low birth weight, poor fetal development, exposure to harmful substances (because the mother was unaware that she was pregnant), infant death in the first year after birth and insufficient resources. According to the Centers for Disease Control, contraceptive availability and other preventive care is essential to women’s health at times when pregnancy would create unaffordable health care costs, improper infant nutrition or exposure to harmful substances, since about half of all pregnancies are unintended. [3] The CDC goes on to report that contraceptive use helps to prevent 188 million unintended pregnancies and therefore, some 1.2 million newborn deaths, and 230,000 maternal deaths worldwide. [4] Does preventing unintended pregnancy also prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases? Although some forms of birth control can be helpful in preventing the spread of STDs, the primary function of contraception is to prevent pregnancy and associated health effects. Preventing the spread of STDs and other communicable diseases, such as the cold and flu, is not directly relevant to a debate on family planning and women’s health care. Are there potential risks involved with contraceptive use?The potential negative health effects of contraceptives are minor, and are far outweighed by the dangers posed by unintended pregnancies. Limiting access to safe and effective pregnancy prevention can increase the risk of unintended and unsafe pregnancies, abortion and also fails to reduce sexual activity. [6] There is no evidence that proper family planning practices must have a negative impact on women’s health. Conclusions:A cherished life event for most families, pregnancy must be entered into with a great deal of caution and preparation. For some women, pregnancy carries with it many medical challenges that require high levels of economic and health preparation before it can be safely entered into. In many cases, temporarily preventing that pregnancy with contraceptives allows a woman time for such preparation. Contraceptives and family planning options are a critical component of women's health, and should be included with other preventive health care options available to families. [1] http://aspe.hhs.gov... [2] http://www.livescience.com... [3] http://www.cdc.gov... [4] http://www.guttmacher.org... [5] http://www.guttmacher.org... [6] http://www.guttmacher.org...