It’s really disheartening to have to come to the comments here and delete comments judging a woman for needing an abortion. We don’t know the situation or specifics of the story, but that’s not the point. The point is people need abortion care and should be able to access it freely and without judgement or explanation. And as always this newsletter does not entertain debate on people’s humanity.
It is unfathomably INSANE to me that an abortion would cost $19,000. I know restricting abortion access is about relegating pregnant people to second-class citizenship by taking away bodily autonomy. It never occurred to me it would also be a way to wildly inflate the cost of a procedure that quite frankly should never have to be paid for anyway. I've always thought it was wild that abortions could cost $500 or $900. $19,000 is just... wow.
Zoe, medical providers' bills do not accurately reflect costs. Cost accounting is extremely difficult for medical providers and their goal is to get as much money as possible from insurance coverage, which is understandable in our current environment of insurance companies squeezing providers at every possible chance, or even denying coverage. It's sadly a game but if you compare what providers ultimately receive vs charges it is much smaller.
That's my interpretation of "total cost of care" as well. It's the total dollar amount for the person to get the care they need. The total cost of care for most abortions is a lot lower, but the average (and the outliers) will go up as access to care is restricted and removed.
Are the Iowa stats similar in other Midwest states? What’s the best way to help: a larger donation to a national or regional fund, or smaller donations to state funds?
So I finally signed up as a sustainer. Thought about doing it in honor of my state senator, Jesse Green, who does not seem capable of an original thought and who has no respect for human dignity. Oh, he also thinks Bayer should be protected from lawsuits due to RoundUp. No respect for life. Decided he wasn't worth the honor. So in honor of the 25% of American women who will get an abortion at some time in their lives.
Every single person who disagrees with the reversal of Roe v. Wade should be donating. How can we share this info with Iowans to get us all to work together and donate? I am sending these stats to all my elected officials and asking them to share to get donations.
Hi, Lyz!
Question: Can I add a one time donation on top of the sustaining? I am dumb at navigating websites, so I don't want to screw it up.
You can! And you can manage your donations on our give butter platform!
Done. Unfortunately, because I can't yet change my legal name, it will be under my dead name. The last name is the same, though.
It’s really disheartening to have to come to the comments here and delete comments judging a woman for needing an abortion. We don’t know the situation or specifics of the story, but that’s not the point. The point is people need abortion care and should be able to access it freely and without judgement or explanation. And as always this newsletter does not entertain debate on people’s humanity.
Ugh! So disheartening!
Thank you for doing this work and pushing us to donate!
Ugh! that's so sad that subscribers here wouldn't understand women's dignity and the big picture.
Thank you for your work. This post inspired me to donate to IAAF and to significantly increase my monthly donation to Our Justice as well.
Every time I read about the exorbitant costs of abortion I'm reminded that Henry Hyde was a piece of shit
It is unfathomably INSANE to me that an abortion would cost $19,000. I know restricting abortion access is about relegating pregnant people to second-class citizenship by taking away bodily autonomy. It never occurred to me it would also be a way to wildly inflate the cost of a procedure that quite frankly should never have to be paid for anyway. I've always thought it was wild that abortions could cost $500 or $900. $19,000 is just... wow.
Anytime I see itemized costs of medical procedures, it blows my mind. I really don't know why ANY of it costs so damn much.
Zoe, medical providers' bills do not accurately reflect costs. Cost accounting is extremely difficult for medical providers and their goal is to get as much money as possible from insurance coverage, which is understandable in our current environment of insurance companies squeezing providers at every possible chance, or even denying coverage. It's sadly a game but if you compare what providers ultimately receive vs charges it is much smaller.
It seems it's a bit of a vicious cycle, with insurance itself driving up the costs of the procedures it purports to cover.
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe some of those costs involve travel, childcare, and many other expenses it takes.
That's my interpretation of "total cost of care" as well. It's the total dollar amount for the person to get the care they need. The total cost of care for most abortions is a lot lower, but the average (and the outliers) will go up as access to care is restricted and removed.
We've been donating to a trio of organizations for a long time, but I'm going to increase our donation. Oregon is a safe state, but that could change.
Are the Iowa stats similar in other Midwest states? What’s the best way to help: a larger donation to a national or regional fund, or smaller donations to state funds?
So I finally signed up as a sustainer. Thought about doing it in honor of my state senator, Jesse Green, who does not seem capable of an original thought and who has no respect for human dignity. Oh, he also thinks Bayer should be protected from lawsuits due to RoundUp. No respect for life. Decided he wasn't worth the honor. So in honor of the 25% of American women who will get an abortion at some time in their lives.
Thanks for this incredibly important work, in addition to your wonderful writing!
Every single person who disagrees with the reversal of Roe v. Wade should be donating. How can we share this info with Iowans to get us all to work together and donate? I am sending these stats to all my elected officials and asking them to share to get donations.