Cover My Pills.org -- Leading the fight for Fair Access to Contraception!

It Saves $ and Makes Sense

Studies show that health insurers can save money by preventing unintended pregnancy. It's basic common sense:

$10,000... Average mother and infant cost for one pregnancy
$450... Average cost for first trimester abortion
$300... Average cost for one year supply of birth control pills

Compared to the high costs of labor, delivery and health care for unplanned pregnancy, studies show that all methods of contraception -- the pill, Depo Provera, Norplant, the IUD, emergency contraception, the diaphragm -- are very cost effective.

Given the high rate of unintended pregnancy in the U.S., a health plan need only increase its members' use of contraception by 15% to save enough health care dollars to pay for contraception for everyone in the plan.

The bottom line: it only costs an employer $1.43 per employee per month to add full contraception benefits to a health plan.

Print our fact sheet and share it with your employer, your union and others.

Learn what a good plan should cover and who supports contraceptive equity in health insurance benefits.

Sources:

Institute of Medicine, "The Best Intentions: Unintended Pregnancy and the Well-Being of Children and Families" (1995);

Trussell, "The Economic Value of Contraception: A Comparison of 15 Methods", American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 85, No. 4 (April 1995);

Alan Gutmacher Institute (1998).