 |
Should medical insurance cover the cost of birth
control pills? Some politicians claim that the cost for a year’s supply can be
$600. That is surely the high end since a web search indicates that birth
control pills can cost from $15 to $50 per month. The same site indicated that
organizations like Planned Parenthood sell them for much less. A letter writer
to a newspaper argued that a month’s supply can be purchased at Walmart for
$4.00.
Advocates argue that the pills are a necessary
women’s health item. But toothpaste is also a necessary health item and no one
suggests that it be covered by insurance. We expect everyone to purchase their
own from the huge array that can be found on the shelves.
Most people don’t realize that medical insurance
that covers relatively minor items is really a prepayment of claims. Take
dental insurance for example. Most policies exist as riders to basic medical
coverage and provide a cap on benefits as well as significant restrictions on
what is covered. For example, most policies won’t pay for caps and implants. In
addition, most policies won’t pay more than a $1000 for all covered dental
expenses in a given year. The annual premium for these dental policies usually
comes very close to the annual cap on benefits.
Automobile insurance provides another example. No
one expects automobile insurance to cover yearly oil changes. If a company had
to provide such coverage, it would have to increase the cost of each policy by
the expected number of oil changes with an additional charge for overhead and
claims processing. There is no other way.
Why would birth control insurance be any different?
The government claims that it is free but there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Whether the pills cost $50 per year at Walmart or $600 per year at the
Congressional dispensary, the cost must be included.
Why is the government embarking on such an expensive
and controversial program when its annual debt is already over 3 trillion
dollars?###
No comments:
Post a Comment