ACCESS TO FAMILY-PLANNING-SERVICES AND HEALTH-INSURANCE AMONG LOW-INCOME WOMEN IN ARIZONA

This paper uses 1984 and 1989 Arizona survey data to explore the importance of insurance coverage for access to family planning services. In Arizona, Medicaid was provided through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, a managed care model. Family planning was not provided in 1984 but had been added by 1989. Low-income women were 2.3 times more likely to receive services in 1989 than in 1984. Women in the system were 60% more likely to have received services. To improve access, health reform proposals should explicitly include family planning in managed care benefits packages.