Don’t Think You Are Affected by STDs? Think Again…
After spending the weekend reading through the exciting novel we call healthcare reform, I was positive that I would at long last stumble upon a topic that so desperately required attention. With nineteen million new cases of STD infections each year in the U.S., I was certain that there would be an entire section, or at least a paragraph, devoted to this critical topic. After finally coming across it, I almost wish that I hadn’t. Apparently, a pandemic of this type is only worth about one hundred and fifty million dollars. That may sound like a lot, but it’s less than half a buck per person.
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 children, your grandchildren, your cousins, or perhaps even your friend. And in situations where you don’t even know or come across the person who is recently infected, you’d be surprised to find out how many times it’s your tax dollars that go for their treatment.
While one hundred and fifty million might seem like a lot, it’s not even ten percent of what sexually transmitted diseases cost our healthcare system each year. With almost $16 billion spent to fight the effects of these diseases, it would only make sense to spend a much larger proportion in order to fight them off before they even happen. Since these diseases can be as silent as they are deadly, a proactive approach is an absolute necessity.
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 birth control pill has ushered in a new era of sexual freedom for many people, and many people now feel like they are doing all that they need to do to be sexually responsible . 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 changes we might benefit from. 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.
Just last year $400 million was placed into the stimulus bill to provide 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.
Want to read more from Andrew M. Gibson? You can find him on facebook, or check out his blog at www.stdtestingservices.com. There you can also learn more about std testing and how to find std testing centers.
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