Could Breastfeeding End the Sequester?

Hello America,

We are now deep in the trenches of another government-induced financial debacle that is poised to pervasively impact all of our lives in many facets.  Just as the U.S. economy and housing market had begun to see signs of improvement, we were introduced to sequestration.  Sequestration is a set of mandatory spending cuts that stems from the Budget Control Act of 2011.  Under the sequester, nearly $1.2 trillion in spending cuts are to be spread across both the defense and discretionary domestic spending budgets over the course of nine-years; set to end in the year 2021.

The current sequestration is threatening public safety, Head Start and preschool programs for low-income families, meals for senior citizens; and a myriad of vital services and programs; where devastating cuts are occurring as we speak.  With many citizens employed in government-funded positions having to submit to mandatory furloughs, or worse.

So how could breastfeeding have anything to do with ending the sequester?

Well, according to a report by International Women’s Policy Research in Washington, D.C.,  the WIC* program spends nearly $89 million dollars per month, on food packages, which is largely comprised of funding to pay for infant formula that is provided at no cost to those mothers who opt to exclusively feed their baby infant formula, or who supplements their breastfeeding with infant formula.  This equates to nearly $1 billion spent over the course of one year.

So maybe…just maybe, if more WIC-eligible mothers opted to exclusively breastfeed their children, the portion of the monies allocated towards the purchase of infant formula could be reallocated to provide more breast pumps – saving the taxpayers more money, as breast pumps are a one time expense.  Infant formula has to be purchased monthly for up to 1 year, and is fairly costly.

As more WIC-eligible mothers opt to breastfeed, more of the exponential benefits of breastfeeding can be realized.  Breast milk consumption can decrease a child’s risk of contracting common childhood illnesses.  Which can result in an increase in a mother’s productivity when working outside of the home.  Moreover, breastfed infants and toddlers will see less of the doctors office; another taxpayer savings, as many of these same families may also be dependent upon Medicaid for their healthcare.

So if mothers who are enrolled in WIC choose to exclusively breastfeed, maybe families who have recently lost their child’s Head Start enrollment could return their child back to school, and they can return back to work?  Or maybe the funds could support another vital social program for growing families or senior citizens.  Who knows?  Of course this is all theoretical.  But one thing is for sure; breastfeeding is good – sequestration is bad.

We have to learn as much as we can as to how legislation impacts our lives, and be sure to elect politicians who will submit to the will of the people.  Because as we see, now more than ever, all politics are local.

Stay Healthy and Wise!

Love,

Ericka L. Abrams, Public Health Practitioner

*(The WIC program (Women Infants and Children) provides low-income mothers, infants and children up to the age of 5 who are deemed at nutritional-risk, with supplemental food, infant formula, breastfeeding counseling and equipment, and referrals to social services and medical care. )

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