Planned Parenthood, how critical are they to Womens Health?

a reply to: drewlander

the last insurance that I was carrying offered alot of free preventative care like pap smears, breast exams, ect...
the thing was, if those tests actually detected something, the care was no longer free..
I used to refuse these tests.. telling them that well, if nothing is found then there was really in fact, not really necessary, and if something did come up, there was probably no way I would be able to pay the bill for the test, let alone the treatment. so I would prefer not to know anyways...
if more people would take that kind of position, where they just deny the care if they just see the bill getting paid in a reasonable time, or that the bill will be added to more quickly than your ability to pay..
I bet the cost would come down some. but as it is, the fear of death is so strong in the human psyche that they are unwilling to be enslaved in lifelong debt just preserve that life no matter how unfulfilling it becomes because of that debt.
but, you ever try to get even an estimate of how much you will have to pay for anything more than a typical office visit?
have any type of surgery and watch all the bills fly in, doctor, surgeon, anesthesia, possibly some type of physical therepist, hospital, which if you look closely you will find drugs they supposedly gave you, which if you do a little research, you might one or two that they really would never have any reason to give you. I don't know how many would feel like I do, but I kind of think that some of us would appreciate at least an estimate of the cost so we can decide that putting ourselves into debt for the rest of our lives, and possibly leaving our kids with a giant headache that has them watching all of the assets being dwindled away by "the greatest healthcare system in the world as the final finale.

a reply to: knoxie

It doesn't pay for the doctors, first assist, nurses or techs? Who pays them if you don't mind me asking?

a reply to: drewlander

I really don't believe that the actual written laws even mentions "elective abortions", it gives a list of circumstances that will an abortion for.
I believe that they are rape, birth defects, and health and life of the mother.
sometimes I wonder if it's not so much that people aren't aware of the laws, or they actually object that their taxpayer money is being used even with these circumstances exist..
and why circumstance they are objecting to?

my guess is that the survey that is being discussed made sure that they called only those planned parenthood clinics that were involved in doing abortions. and like someone points out, planned parenthood have taken measures to keep the federal funds separated from the abortions part of their business, possibly to the point that they have clinics where that is their main thing. by the way, there are probably quite of few doctor's and clinics that also do abortions, they just as noteworthy of planned parenthood, they are called gynacologists, and they don't have separate facilities and aren't under as much scrutiny as planned parenthood.

There definitely needs to be more transparency in medical billing, especially when it comes to scheduled services. There is no reason they cannot look up the benefits and know within 5 minutes what they will get paid and what your responsibility is depending on your deductible and the order that claims are filed to your insurance between that lookup and the scheduled date of service.

originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: drewlander

I really don't believe that the actual written laws even mentions "elective abortions", it gives a list of circumstances that will an abortion for.

Medicare does specifically not cover elective abortion. The reason is supposed to be coded into the modifiers, but thats not to say medicare fraud doesnt exist. The modifier for elective abortion according to CMS is AH.

thx
-d

a reply to: drewlander

for some reason when I think of medicare I think of little old men and ladies like me that will never have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy again. but even with that, somewhere in that law, it has to either define what an elective abortion is, or refer you someplace in the laws where it does. otherwise, you are leaving it up to doctors to define it however they want to, which would leave us with no uniformity whatsoever.

a reply to: misskat1

Let's face it. Your doctor should know if you have had an STD. It's part of your medical history and it could be important for him or her to know that at some point down the road when dealing with another issue. Trying to "save face" could cost you whne your doctor doesn't have a complete medical history and tries to treat something that might be in part related to or complicated that "little" dose of the clap you caught.

originally posted by: misskat1

Their services are pretty much limited to paps, birth control and treating sexually transmitted diseases. But, all these services are provided at any Clinic or Drs office in America. Wouldnt we be better off to give our tax dollars to clinics that not only offer the same services, but also provide medical health for the whole family?

You are making the basic assumption that people have readily and easy access to those doctors offices that will provide all of those services. Unless you are well off enough to afford a concierge medical service, you like almost all of the rest of us will have to wait sometimes 4-6 weeks if your lucky to get an appointment for routine services.

You couple that with an economically disadvantaged area and the services get even slimmer.

PP is actually quite efficient in the delivery of care......

a reply to: FredT

Unless you live in a disadvantaged rural area ... then forget PP. They treat rural Americans like flyover, just like a lot of other folks.

So again, how important are they really?

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: FredT


So again, how important are they really?

Again.. explain how the mostly ALREADY crowded doctors offices and clinics can accommodate the 2-3 million people served by planned parenthood?

There is a shortage of MD's and Nurses nationwide coupled with fewer places to go that are already over capacity.

They are extremely important. All those wanted to defund PP, have no plan for those it serves.

originally posted by: neo96

Anyone else have an opinion on this??

Planned parenthood should not even exist.

Not in the era of doctors offices,hospitals,clinics,free clinic, medicaid(created specifically for the poor), and the Affordable Care Act.

It's not the only place in town to get care, some people need to stop acting like it is.

In some towns it IS the only place for hundreds of miles. But that doesn't fit your rhetoric so let's ignore it, huh?

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: misskat1
I had an argument with my nephew yesterday, regarding Planned Parenthood, and the critical roll they play in our society by providing health care to millions of American Women. He tells me that they dont use any Federal money to pay for abortions. The money they will loose if funding is cut off will cut off all the other services they provide, which will have a huge impact on womens health.

This is the pie chart he used to validate his argument.

Lets put Abortion off the table for a minute. And look at the other 97% of their services.

Their services are pretty much limited to paps, birth control and treating sexually transmitted diseases. But, all these services are provided at any Clinic or Drs office in America. Wouldnt we be better off to give our tax dollars to clinics that not only offer the same services, but also provide medical health for the whole family?

When I take Abortion off the table, it becomes clear (to me at least) that they are irrelevant to womens health. And actually the money they receive is draining a health care system that needs all the help it can get. Defunding Planned Parenthood isnt going to make Abortions illegal. And the services they provide, are already available.

His argument: Women are too shy or embarrassed to go to their own drs for stds and paps. In my book that just isnt a good enough reason to keep funding them.

Anyone else have an opinion on this??

I was listening to Hannity the other day and he was interviewing an anti-abortion woman who called like 100 planned parenthood facilities and only like 3 or 4 offered any kind of "women's health" beyond abortions and the ones that did offer other services actually just referred the patient out to other clinics. It was pretty clear that PP is just an abortion mill hiding under "women's health".

I'd be curious as to how that chart is developed. What is the underlying data?

She was the former PP manager who said not 1 PP clinic had a mammogram machine?

They give out referrals for that stuff.

Gee, look where they all are located.

a reply to: FredT

Again, since there a lot of things PP doesn't do ... like actual prenatal and mammograms and the like. They just refer for those. Then are they really reducing the strain on overcrowded doctors by all that much?

a reply to: ketsuko

Most doctors don't have mammogram machines in their offices, and have to refer those out too, just like PP. Also, most gynecologists refer pregnant women to obstetricians for their prenatal care.

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: ketsuko

Most doctors don't have mammogram machines in their offices, and have to refer those out too, just like PP. Also, most gynecologists refer pregnant women to obstetricians for their prenatal care.

Ya think?

What is OB stand for?
Take the Infertility Quiz.
OB/GYN: A commonly used abbreviation. OB is short for obstetrics or for an obstetrician, a physician who delivers babies.

GYN is short for gynecology or for a gynecologist, a physician who specializes in treating diseases of the female reproductive organs.

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: ketsuko

Most doctors don't have mammogram machines in their offices, and have to refer those out too, just like PP. Also, most gynecologists refer pregnant women to obstetricians for their prenatal care.

And yet, a common defense of PP is that they provide those stated services. And THAT's why we can't defund them. Oh no! Where will poor women get prenatal care and mammograms without them?

Same place the rest of us do, duh

a reply to: burgerbuddy

An obstetrician is a physician who has successfully completed specialized education and training in the management of pregnancy, labor, and pueperium (the time-period directly following childbirth).

A gynecologist is a physician who has a successfully completed specialized education and training in the health of the female reproductive system, including the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases

An obstetrician/gynecologist is a physician specialist who provides medical and surgical care to women and has particular expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, and disorders of the reproductive system. This includes preventative care, prenatal care, detection of sexually transmitted diseases, Pap test screening, family planning, etc.
www.healthcommunities.com...

Your point?

a reply to: ketsuko

And yet, a common defense of PP is that they provide those stated services.

Do you understand that a woman needs a referral in order to get a mammogram, and can't just walk into some radiology office and ask for one? Whether you go to your private physician or you gynecologist or Planned Parenthood, you still need a referral.

a reply to: ketsuko

I get a mammogram every 6 months, my doctors orders. I have to go to another clinic to get it done. But, I can't just walk in. I have to have a referral. That is just what PP does for poor women who can't afford the $150 dr visit and $3000 for the mammogram like I can.

a reply to: windword
and if the person is on medicaid, it might take them some time lining up an ob. it's a case of something is better than nothing,