05/08/2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Teen childbearing in Texas cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion in 2010, according to an updated analysis from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
For the nation overall, teen childbearing cost taxpayers $9.4 billion, according to the release from the Campaign.
Most of the public sector costs of teen childbearing are associated with negative consequences often experienced by the children of teen mothers, during both their childhood and their adolescent years, the release from National Campaign stated. This includes costs associated with public health care (Medicaid and CHIP), increased participation in child welfare, and, among those children who have reached adolescence and young adulthood, increased rates of incarceration and lost tax revenue due to decreased earnings and spending.
Between 1991 and 2010, there have been 1,063,399 teen births in Texas, costing taxpayers a total of $24.3 billion over that period. These public sector costs would have been higher had it not been for the substantial declines in teen childbearing. Texas has seen a 33 percent decline in the teen birth rate between 1991 and 2010, according to the analysis. The impressive strides made have saved taxpayers an estimated $701 million in 2010 alone, compared to what they would have paid if rates had not fallen.
In Ector County in 2011, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, there were 139 births (17 and under). During 2011, Texas had 14,638 births.
In 2012, Ector County had 136 births, and Texas had 13,476 births. This is the latest data from the state agency.
Gino Solla, director at Ector County Health Department, said the health department collaborated with the University of Texas of the Permian to help UTPB receive a $2 million grant from the Texas Department of Health Services around two years ago to put toward efforts such as Nurse-Family Partnership program, which works with first-time moms early in their pregnancy.
The program’s website states the partnership’s intent is work with mothers from “pregnancy until the child turns two years old, Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse Home Visitors form a much-needed, trusting relationship with the first-time moms, instilling confidence and empowering them to achieve a better life for their children – and themselves. An evidence-based community health program, Nurse-Family Partnership's outcomes include long-term family improvements in health, education, and economic self-sufficiency. By helping to break the cycle of poverty, we play an important role in helping to improve the lives of society's most vulnerable members, build stronger communities, and leave a positive impact on this and future generations.”
These new state data are an update of research conducted for The National Campaign in 2004 by Saul Hoffman, Ph.D., of the University of Delaware. The analysis provides a conservative estimate of public costs, based on the increased risk of consequences faced by teen mothers, fathers, and their children as compared to mothers having children in their early twenties, controlling for many other factors.
“In addition to improving the wellbeing of children, youth, and families, reducing teen pregnancy also saves taxpayer dollars,” said Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, in the release. “Even though teen pregnancy and childbearing are at historic lows, the still-high public costs associated with teen childbearing remind us all that complacency should not hinder further progress and that progress should not be confused with victory.”
Visit www.TheNationalCampaign.org/why-it-matters/public-cost for more information. This analysis was funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through grant number IU58DP002916-04.
The National Campaign is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families by preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy.
No comments:
Post a Comment