Expanded state-funded family planning services: estimating pregnancies averted by the Family PACT Program in California, 1997-1998.
OBJECTIVE
The California Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment Program was implemented in 1997 to provide family planning services for uninsured, low-income women and men. We estimated the impact on fertility of providing 500 000 women with contraceptives.


METHODS
Paid claims and medical record review data were used to estimate pregnancies averted. Pregnancies women experienced while enrolled in the program and pregnancies they would have experienced given methods used before enrollment were modeled as a Markov process.


RESULTS
One year of Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment services averted an estimated 108 000 unintended pregnancies that would have resulted in 50 000 unintended births and 41 000 induced abortions.


CONCLUSIONS
Providing contraceptives to low income, medically indigent women significantly reduced the number of unintended pregnancies in California.
University of California, San Francisco, 2356 Sutter St, Suite 200, UCSF Box 1744, San Francisco, CA 94143-1744, USA. greened@obgyn.ucsf.edu
Diana Greene
DG
Foster
Cynthia M
CM
Klaisle
Maya
M
Blum
Mary E
ME
Bradsberry
Claire D
CD
Brindis
Felicia H
FH
Stewart
D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001723:Birth Rate; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008390:Markov Chains; D008489:Medical Indigency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013221:State Health Plans / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States