INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A 2005 Indiana law that would have provided free birth control to low-income women was never implemented because the state's social services agency failed to complete the process to apply for a Medicaid expansion program that would have provided the service.
The Indianapolis Star reports (http://indy.st/rwKXVY) that Family and Social Services Administration officials have cited the program's startup costs, opposition by federal Medicaid officials and the need for adjustments to the plan for its failure to implement the law.
Republican Sen. Luke Kenley says he was surprise the law he co-sponsored had not been implemented and that he had trusted the administration to follow through on it.
Studies show states that have passed similar programs have seen fewer unwanted pregnancies and at-risk births while savings millions of dollars.
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Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
