Family planning perspectives
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Approximately 2,614 agencies are providing family planning services in at least 5,460 clinics throughout the nation, a slight increase over the 2,462 agencies and 5,174 clinics that were estimated to be providing such services in 1983. Health departments operate an estimated 52% of clinic sites; Planned Parenthood affiliates, 15%; hospital, 6%; and other agencies, 27%. Although many agencies also offer noncontraceptive services, the large majority provide family planning services in separate clinic sessions devoted to that purpose. ⋯ While almost all of the agencies get some income from Medicaid (83%), only 15% receive more than 20% of their budget for contraceptive services from that source. The federal Title X program provides more than 20% of the budgets of 53% of agencies; state and local governments fund 40% of family planning agencies at that level; and client fees do the same for 32% of agencies. Some 92% of clinics with Title X funding provide the initial visit and a three-month supply of the pill without charge to clients with an income below the federal poverty level, compared with about 50% of clinics without Title X funding.