Planned Parenthood lowers costs for all of us

I am a recently retired health care executive and nurse who is so disappointed in the current administration and specifically our U.S. representative, Peter Roskam, for their continued attack on women.

Working in the ER, I have seen the worst of humanity as well as the best. I have seen people who have had no access to preventive care who waited too long. They either died or cost the health care system a fortune because their disease had progressed too far. I have seen patients on dialysis for life simply because they didn't get treatment for their chronic illness.

The Republican plan will cost each of us more because more and more patients will access the ER, which hospitals will have to classify as "uncompensated care" and will have to raise their prices for those that can pay. It's been a vicious cycle which the ACA improved by improving access to preventive care like Planned Parenthood through the Medicaid expansion.

Funding of Planned Parenthood simply means allowing patients to utilize their services with their Medicaid card. When did Planned Parenthood become synonymous with abortion? The majority of their funding is for birth control, health screenings, STI screenings, education and cancer screenings. If we pay for prevention, we don't pay for disease care that has progressed to hundreds of thousands of dollars of care.

I don't know anyone who is "for" abortion. We can't go back to illegal abortions in back alleys, and they will happen, as they did for so many.

As you read this, think to yourself, have I ever made that mistake and thought "there but for the grace of God go I" when you didn't get pregnant? What about your sons and daughters, wouldn't you rather they have access to birth control so they don't have to take on a life they are ill prepared for?

Penny Davis

Lake Barrington