FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2017
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, (202) 344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org
House Reconciliation Bill Would Decimate Access to Family Planning
Statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA)
WASHINGTON, DC – “Last night, the US House Representatives released a fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget reconciliation package that would gut essential elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that have put health care coverage in reach for those who otherwise could not afford it. By eliminating Medicaid expansion and phasing out subsidies for the millions of Americans who earn between $16,400 and $47,550 annually, this dangerous package disproportionately affects the poor and low-income that rely on the health care safety net. It also bars Planned Parenthood health centers, some of the most trusted providers in the family planning safety net, from participating in Medicaid.
“This damaging proposal would strip essential health care coverage for more than 22 million people and upend the family planning safety net. Clearly, some in Congress are willing to allow politics to trump policy, even at the expense of people’s ability to access basic preventive health care, including cancer screenings, STD testing, and contraception, purely to advance an anti-family planning agenda. This ideology runs counter to the beliefs of the American public. National opinion polling consistently shows an overwhelming majority of Americans support the health care coverage and access afforded by the ACA and consider Planned Parenthood a trusted provider of high-quality family planning care. The impact of an attack on Planned Parenthood will reverberate across the entire provider network and significantly hamper its capacity to deliver the high-quality care on which communities rely.
“When people do not have access to the family planning care and education they need, they are more vulnerable to sexually transmitted disease and at a greater risk of unintended pregnancy and poor birth outcomes, all of which have high personal costs and translate into increased expense across the entire health care system. Lawmakers should block this dangerous measure and return to thoughtful, bipartisan deliberation on improving access to affordable, high-quality health care in this country. There is too much at stake.”
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NFPRHA is a membership organization representing providers and administrators committed to helping people get the family planning education and care they need to make the best choices for themselves and their loved ones. NFPRHA works to enhance the ability of thousands of nurse practitioners, doctors, and other health professionals to provide high-quality family planning care through training and advocacy. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.