Preventive care drops when government cuts close women's health clinics

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/uok-pcd100615.php

Public Release: 7-Oct-2015
Preventive care drops when government cuts close women's health clinics, research says
University of Kansas

When women's health clinics close because of government funding cuts aimed at abortion providers, fewer women seek lifesaving preventive care that can identify health threats such as cancer, research from the University of Kansas shows.

David Slusky, assistant professor of economics at KU, and Yao Lu of the Analysis Group in Boston found that when the closure of a women's health clinic resulted in a 100-mile increase in driving distance to the next nearest clinic, the annual rate of women receiving preventive screenings dropped by 11 percent for breast exams, 18 percent for mammograms and 14 percent for Pap tests. The findings also suggest that a clinic's closure affected less-educated women the most.

"These organizations are providing services that we as a country generally care about and think are a good investment," Slusky said.

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