CARE Womens Health Publishes on Health Insurance and Contraceptive Care

Dr. Nathan Hale, faculty in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Center for Applied Research and Evaluation in Women’s Health, has published an article in Women’s Health Issues.  The article, “Contraceptive Use Patterns among Women of Reproductive Age in Two Southeastern States,” discusses the important role of health insurance in enabling women, particularly women with lower incomes, to obtain the contraceptive care that they need to achieve optimal health and to plan whether and when to get pregnant. 

The study was based on a cross-sectional statewide survey assessing women's contraceptive use and reproductive health experiences conducted in Alabama and South Carolina. The study examined predisposing, enabling, and need factors that may influence contraceptive use in these two states. The study found that 26.5% of women reported not using any contraception.

“A key finding of this study is not just that one in four women were not using contraception, but this was more common among women with no health insurance and those with incomes just outside eligibility thresholds for state Medicaid programs and among women with longer gaps in care” stated Dr. Hale. “This suggests that women with lower incomes who may not be eligible for financial assistance to offset the cost of contraceptives may be experiencing financial barriers in accessing these services” continued Dr. Hale.

Drs. Michael Smith, Katie Baker, and Amal Khoury, faculty in East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Center for Applied Research and Evaluation in Women’s Health, were co-authors.  Drs. Hale, Smith and Khoury are also members of the Department of Health Services Management and Policy, and Dr. Baker is a faculty in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health. 

Unintended pregnancies, those that are unwanted or mistimed, remain a priority public health issue. Women have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of loss of employment and income, meaning that their ability to pay out-of-pocket for essential health care has been further compromised.

“Timely access to quality reproductive health services for all people is essential to reducing health disparities among population groups and achieving health equity in our region and beyond,” stated Dr. Khoury. “This is therefore the time for our policy makers to act to expand Medicaid programs in the southern states and to also support protection and expansion of federal family planning programs,” continued Dr. Khoury. “Through such efforts, we, as a society, can help assure that people have access to basic health care services and are able to achieve their full health, economic and social well-being.