Friday, February 20, 2009

It's a Good Day When Poor People Can Eat...And Procreate!

If you saw my post from yesterday, I was summoned to my phone yesterday for an interview with my caseworker regarding possible extension of my food stamp benefits, only to find that she was on medical leave.

Today I got a notice in the mail from medical-leave-caseworker notifying me that my food stamp benefits have been extended through August of this year! Whoo-hoo! Little Debbie snack cakes for everyone!

My happy mood swelled when I opened my next piece of mail, from Highmark. I am on a special (i.e., for poor people) health insurance plan with Highmark that's actually pretty good, and only $35 a month. While I've not had many instances to use it, it's good to know that it's there--just in case I do need it.

The letter from Highmark brought with it good news for anyone who wants to procreate in a safe, pregnancy-proof kind of way: "contraceptive services" that were previously excluded are now covered, including "prescription drugs, contraceptive devices, implants and injections, and all related services". Whoo-hoo! Norplants for everyone!

I applaud Highmark for making what I think is a very wise decision. Even thinking about this in simple economics (which I'm sure was the main motivator for Highmark) that providing birth control is cheaper than the possible alternatives: terminating unwanted pregnancies or paying for the care of an expectant mother and the birth of her child. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be getting over to the Rite-Aid...


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