|
Comment on this article |
Email this Article
|
|
News :: Miscellaneous |
|
Contraceptive Coverage Campaign Kick-Off |
Current rating: 0 |
by Brooke Anderson
Email: brooke (nospam) shout.net (unverified!)
Phone: 352-6533, x. 17
Address: 44 E. Main St. #208, Champaign, IL 61820 |
04 Nov 2001
|
|
Contraception is central to women's health care. To exclude contraceptives from insurance coverage discriminates against women. The UI should take a leadership role in providing full contraceptive coverage for its employees and should encourage the State of Illinois to do likewise. It's time to demand an end to employer health policies that discriminate against women. |
Women’s Health Task Force
44 E. Main Street, Suite 208
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 352-6533, ex. 17
October 26th, 2001
Dear Friend,
On behalf of the Women’s Health Task Force (WHTF), I am writing to invite you to a kick off event for our campaign to win contraceptive coverage for University of Illinois employees. The kick off event will be Thursday, November 8th from 12:00 noon to 1:00p.m. at the Illinois Disciples Foundation located on the northwest corner of Springfield and Wright Streets in Champaign.
Contraception is part of basic health care for women, and to exclude contraceptives from insurance coverage constitutes discrimination against women. There is no economic or health reason why the UI should exclude contraceptive coverage from employees’ health plans. In fact, according to a recent decision by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), it is a violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (which is part of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) for an employer to exclude contraceptives from its prescription coverage.
Lack of contraceptive coverage and high out-of-pocket costs are major barriers to contraceptive access for women. While 97% of all fee-for-service insurance plans cover prescriptions, only 33% cover "the pill," and only 15% cover all six prescription contraceptive methods. Lack of contraceptive coverage requires women to pay high out-of-pocket costs for prescription contraceptives. Costs for supplies alone can run approximately $380 per year for Depo-Provera, $400 per year for an IUD, $540 per year for oral contraceptives, and $700 for Norplant.
Out-of-pocket expenses add up quickly over a lifetime. There are currently 60 million women in the U.S. of child-bearing age. Of these, 70% do not currently wish to become pregnant. A woman who wants two children (the average in the U.S.) will use contraceptives for nearly two decades of her life and pay between $400-$700 per year for contraceptive supplies and services. That’s a lot of money! Thus, out-of-pocket costs for contraception contribute greatly to the fact that women (who typically still earn less than their male counterparts) pay 68% more than men for out-of-pocket health care expenses. Contraceptive coverage is not just common sense, but also a matter of fairness and equity.
Contraceptive coverage is cost effective for employers. Research indicates that the average cost to employers for including contraceptive coverage in their insurance plans would be as little at $1.43 per employee per month (Darroch, 1998). This cost is much smaller than the cost to employers for covering an unplanned pregnancy or an abortion, and smaller than the cost of pregnancy-related employee absences.
Contraception is also critical to the health of women and children. Almost one half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. Of these unintended pregnancies, more than half end in abortion (Henshaw, 1998). Contraceptives have been proven to enhance the health of women and children, prevent unintended pregnancies, and reduce the need for abortion.
Unfortunately, the insurance policy for University of Illinois employees excludes this vital coverage, causing thousands of female UI employees to either pay hundreds of dollars per year for contraceptives or do without contraceptives. As the state’s flagship institution of higher education, the UI should take a leadership role in providing full contraceptive coverage for their employees. Furthermore, the University should partner with the Women’s Health Task Force in encouraging the State of Illinois to offer contraceptive coverage for all its employees.
To begin our campaign to secure contraceptive coverage for UI employees, the Women’s Health Task Force is holding a campaign kick off on Thursday, November 8th, 2001 at 12:00 noon at the Illinois Disciples Foundation. Attend the kick off and learn about the necessity of contraceptive coverage. We will be discussing the legal precedents for contraceptive coverage, developing an action plan for our campaign, and looking at possible legislation that would guarantee contraceptive coverage.
Join the movement for contraceptive coverage! There are several things you can do to get involved:
1. Attend the WHTF Contraceptive Coverage Campaign Kick Off on November 8th at 12 noon.
2. Distribute copies of the enclosed flier to your friends, family, and co-workers.
3. Attend the next WHTF meeting on Tuesday, December 4th at 6p.m. at the CCHCC office in Suite 208 of the Lincoln Building (44 E. Main Street in Champaign).
4. Subscribe to the WHTF announcement list to receive information about our contraceptive coverage campaign. To subscribe, send a message with you name, mailing address, phone number and email to Brooke at brooke (at) shout.net.
5. Make a tax-deductible financial contribution to the Champaign County Health Care Consumers to support the work of the Women’s Health Task Force. Your generous gift will enable us to continue to advocate for full contraceptive coverage – at the UI and throughout the state of Illinois. Contributions will help cover the costs of postage and printing for this ongoing effort. To contribute, please send your check or money order made out to CCHCC to:
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
Attn: Brooke Anderson
44 E. Main St., Suite 208
Champaign, IL 61820
6. Learn more about the contraceptive coverage movement online by visiting www.covermypills.org.
Thanks so much for you commitment to women’s health and contraceptive coverage. I hope to see you on November 8th at 12 noon at the IDF. If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to call me at (217) 352-6533, extension #17 or email me at brooke (at) shout.net.
Sincerely,
Brooke Anderson
Women’s Health Task Force |
