An Investment We Can All Agree Upon

After pouring through thousands of pages of healthcare reform, I was certain that I would at long last come across a topic that so desperately needed attention.  With nineteen million new cases of STD infections each year in the U.S., I was certain that there were be an entire section, or at least a paragraph, devoted to this critical topic.  After finally coming across it, I nearly wish that I hadn’t.  The entire amount that our government plans on spending on this pandemic is one hundred and fifty million dollars.  At only fifty cents per person, that is an embarrassing amount .

If you somehow think that this shouldn’t matter to you, you are wrong.  Over half of these infections hit people between the ages of 15 and 24.  That means that they are your nieces, nephews, cousins, and possibly even your children.  Even if it’s only someone you don’t even know who is infected with an STD, more times than not it’s your tax dollars that will be footing the bill for treatment of  any complications that might arise.

STDs cost our healthcare system billions of dollars each year, so a few hundred million isn’t really such a large sum relatively speaking.   With almost $16 billion spent to fight the effects of these diseases, it would only make sense to spend a much larger percentage in order to fight them off before they even happen.  Due to the silent and often deadly nature of these diseases, a proactive approach is an absolute requirement.

STD testing, along with a willingness for more open and honest talk regarding STDs, can be a simple and effective way to fight this epidemic.   We need to stop arguing about whether or not sexual education is the right thing to do, and start worrying about what message we want to send.   Unfortunately, sexually active teenagers seem to feel that an unwanted pregnancy is the only downside of having sex.   What they also need to be concerned with are the many different life threatening conditions that STDs bring to play.

Whether we like it or not, sex is here to stay and we might as well accept it. The advent of the birth control pill has granted many people a false sense of confidence and has made them feel that they have done enough towards the goal of sexual responsibility .  The truth, however, is that it’s also opened up a Pandora’s box of other issues that are still seldom ever talked about.  If we look at the continent of Europe, we can get a better picture of what possible changes might benefit our nation.   They are much more sexually active, and much more sexually open too.  However, they have also seen their STD rates decrease at a much faster rate than the US.

A year ago, there was $400 million in the stimulus bill for STD testing and HIV testing.   However, both Democrats and Republicans somehow lost their nerve and quickly took it out.   We should be united in this effort, as this investment can help trim our nations skyrocketing healthcare costs for us and future generations .  Until then, however, we will continue to pay the price for this and other similar past decisions.