Rachel Benson Gold

Public funding for contraceptive, sterilization and abortion services, 1994.

In 1994, federal and state funding for contraceptive services and supplies reached +715 million. Funding totaled +148 million for contraceptive sterilization and +90 million for abortion services. According to a survey of state health, Medicaid and social service agencies, reported spending on contraceptive services and supplies increased by 11% between 1992 and 1994. In the same period, spending under Title X rose by 37%, making it the third largest public funding source for contraceptive services and supplies. The largest source of public funds for family planning services continues to be the joint federal-state Medicaid program. Medicaid family planning expenditures increased by only 4% between 1992 and 1994, a sizable decrease in growth from previous years. State funds continue to be the second largest source, providing almost one-quarter of reported public expenditures in 1994. The maternal and child health and social services block grants remain relatively minor sources of support nationally, although in a handful of states they provide the majority of public-sector funds. State governments were virtually the sole source of public support for the 203,200 abortions provided in 1994 to low-income women. Despite the loosening of federal abortion funding criteria in FY 1994 permitting payment in cases of rape and incest, federally funded abortions numbered only 282.

Public funding for contraceptive, sterilization and abortion services, fiscal year 1992.

In 1992, the federal and state governments spent

Public funding of family planning, sterilization and abortion services, 1987.

645 million to provide contraceptive services. According to the results of a survey of health, social service and Medicaid agencies conducted by The Alan Guttmacher Institute, Medicaid accounted for 50% of all public spending on family planning services. State governments, which spent a total of

Paying for maternity care.

155 million of their own revenues for contraceptives services, accounted for 24% of public funding, Title X for 17%, and the social services and maternal and child health block-grant programs for nearly 10%. Medicaid expenditures for contraceptive services increased dramatically between 1990 and 1992, and were responsible for a 28% rise in total expenditures for contraceptive services during that period. However, when inflation is taken into account, total public expenditures for contraceptive services have decreased by 27% since 1980, and Medicaid has replaced Title X as the primary source of funding for such services. The federal and state governments together spent

After the Hyde Amendment: public funding for abortion in FY 1978.

138 million to subsidize sterilization services in 1992, an increase of 46% from 1990. The federal and state governments also spent

Publicly funded abortions in FY 1980 and FY 1981.

80 million to provide 202,622 abortions to poor women; less than 1% was contributed by the federal government. These estimates of expenditures are approximations that, because of methodologic problems and changes over time, may overstate public expenditures for contraceptive services.

Ultrasound Imaging During Pregnancy

In FY 1987, the federal and state governments spent +386 million to provide family planning services. Medicaid was the leading source of public funding, accounting for 36 percent of all public monies spent on family planning. Title X of the Public Health Service Act provided 34 percent of total public funds, and two block-grant programs--Social Services and Maternal and Child Health--together were responsible for 17 percent of public support in this area. State governments, which spent a total of +50 million of their own revenues for family planning services, accounted for the remaining 13 percent of public funding. The federal and state governments together spent +65 million to subsidize contraceptive sterilization services in FY 1987. The federal government provided 97 percent of the funding, 88 percent through the Medicaid program. In addition, the federal and state governments spent +64 million to provide 189,000 abortions to poor women; less than one percent of these funds were contributed by the federal government. These data come from a survey of state health, welfare and Medicaid agencies carried out by The Alan Guttmacher Institute and should be viewed as approximations rather than as precise figures.

Depo-Provera: the jury still out.

The costs of prenatal care and the delivery of newborns are continuously increasing. In the 3 years since 1982 alone, the cost of a hospital delivery has increased approximately 40%. 40% of all births in the US are to women aged 18-24. These women compose the highest risk group for having complications of pregnancy. It is alarming that in 1984 more than 25% of these women had no form of insurance to cover the costs. Poor, minority, and unemployed women are most likely to lack coverage. The 3 basic types of coverage are individual or direct, employers or indirect, and federal. Direct insurance is not always affordable and often provides incomplete coverage. Employers insurance is often able to cover the costs of maternity care for many young women. However, a high rate of job turnover and the loss of a husband due to death or divorce excludes teenagers, widows, and divorcees from maintaining this type of indirect insurance. Federal insurance in the form of Medicaid has strict eligibility requirements. In nearly 1/2 the states one must be below the poverty level in order to be eligible, and the benefits vary among the states. In addition, many practitioners will not accept Medicaid as payment. The Aid to Families With Dependent Children is available in lieu of Medicaid, but only to single mothers who already have dependent children. The Maternal Child Health block grant is designed to equalize the differences in Medicaid eligibility among states and to give coverage to poor women who are ineligible for Medicaid. The individual states are allowed to allot the monies for this grant without qualifications for minimum services, with the result that it is unknown which women receive necessary services.

Fetal research under fire: the influence of abortion politics.

Analyzes the level of state and federal abortion funding during FY 1978, the first year after enforcement of the Hyde amendment, and assesses how much the Hyde amendment increased the unmet need for publicly funded abortions in this period. Data on the number of abortions performed in each state and on Medicaid expenditures come from the Alan Guttmacher Institute 1978 survey of state Medicaid agencies and the quarterly reports filed by state Medicaid agencies with the Health Care Financing Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services. From FY 1977 to FY 1978, the number of subsidized abortions decreased by 101,000, or more than 1/3. During FY 1978, about

Depo-Provera: new developments in a decade-old controversy.

52 million was spent by federal and state Medicaid agencies for about 194,000 abortions, mostly for welfare recipients, and about 99% of those monies were state funds. The 16 states and District of Columbia which adopted or maintained a liberal standard accounted for 98% of all public funds expended for abortion services during FY 1978. 14 states which adopted standards parallel to federal restrictions spent about