Recession Pushes More California Women To Seek Services at Clinics
More women in California are seeking health care services at clinics and family planning agencies because of the recession, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Many of the services, such as contraception and abortion, stem from women seeking to avoid or end pregnancies as they lose jobs and insurance coverage.
For example, Planned Parenthood clinics report that they are performing a record number of abortions, while other women's health agencies report higher call volumes, more visits and additional requests for abortion funding.
In addition, Planned Parenthood clinics in Los Angeles County report 15% more patient cases than they had last year.
The Times reports that increased demand for reproductive health services -- particularly abortions funded by Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program -- is putting a strain on some clinics. The situation is further complicated in some counties that are seeing increases in the number of Medi-Cal applications and processing times for the applications (Yoshino, Los Angeles Times, 5/20). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.