Reproductive Women Declared High Maintenance… Part Two

Public sector Medicaid receives additional funding for low-income uninsured women. These reproductive services are considered special status by the federal government; therefore, 71% of all publicly financed family planning services cover contraceptives, gynecology testing, condoms, and STD testing, plus one-half of all states have extended financing for family planning services only under the family plan waiver program for women who are not eligible for full Medicaid benefits.

Another public program is called Title 10, referred to as Title X, which is administrated by the Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs.  Funding from the Title 10 program covers a network of family planning clinics with over 4,400 clinics nationwide.  Over the years, the number of reproductive women being tested by these clinics has increased steadily with over five million uninsured women and teens, not qualified for Medicaid using these services.

These public family planning clinics offer contraceptives, mammograms, counseling and education, pap tests, breast and pelvic exams, STD testing, prenatal care, postpartum care, and well-baby care.  Federal law prohibits Title 10 monies from being used to fund abortions or abortion care.  Unfortunately, the Title 10 program has been under strain for years, after having seen an increasing number of women using them to meet their needs, and although funding levels have been increasing steadily, operating expenses and supplies have been increasing as well, affecting the overall effectiveness of this program.

The Title 10 program offers the following additional publicly funded services:

• Contraceptive Services to reduce teen pregnancy and abortion rates
• screening and treatment of STDs to prevent the spreading the disease
• delivery of healthier babies by prenatal planning and education
• saving health care dollars through responsible contraceptive programs

By making these services available to women unable to qualify for Medicaid, women are provided with real choices when it comes to their reproductive lives.  This Title 10 program has turned out to be a major benefit to self-employed workers and their families, by supplying them with necessary medical testing and treatment during their family planning years.

Having an affordable health insurance plan is something all people would like to have, there are times in life when due to expense or economic conditions, self-employed people and their families cannot afford to have one, which adds undue stress to the family unit.  Fortunately, Medicaid and Title 10 programs are there to fill the void and keep the reproductive female and her baby healthy and cared for, no matter what the expense.

For additional information about this program, please visit:

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/issues/birth_control/family-planning-services/title-x-summary.html