Healthcare Econs: Funding of Abortion

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Healthcare Economics Adedayo Saanumi, RN University of South Alabama

HEALTHCARE&ECONOMICS& Funding of Abortions The Supreme Court judgment in Roe v. Wade, (1973) struck down the criminalization of abortion in the United States, and therefore guaranteed the right of the woman to choose legal abortion. With this landmark decision came the burden of funding for the numerous abortions

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that takes place in the United States yearly. Federal funding of abortions in the United States has been premised upon medical necessity and income level of the pregnant woman. Individuals pay for abortions that are not deemed legal. Because abortion rate is still significantly high, its funding has economic implications for women and the nation as a whole. This paper discusses in details the funding of abortion. It highlights the cost of abortion to the woman and her family, and describes federal funding of abortions within the context of the law of the land. Before Roe v Wade, women who needed abortion services paid huge fees and patronized mostly unlicensed personnel (National Abortion Federation [NAF], 2003). Following the legalization of abortion, the abortion landscape became open and a “moral hazard” (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2012) ensued. This led to more abortion expenditures on the part of the individual and government. In the three years following the legalization of abortion, majority of the legal abortions for low-income women was borne by the government through Medicaid (Kaiser Family Foundation, [KFF], 2009). For abortions that were funded individually, cost and safety became the main determinant factors. High-income women have been able to get abortion services paying out-of-pocket, but the poorer ones have had difficulty accessing these kinds of services, especially in situations where government funding is unavailable. Today, the federal government funds abortions only in cases of rapes, incest and life...