Prospects for Passing Reconciliation Package in the Senate May Be Narrowing
Since the original efforts to pass President Biden’s sweeping domestic policy agenda, known as Build Back Better, through a budget reconciliation package fell apart in December 2021, Senate Democratic leadership has been working to find a way to pass policy priorities in an evenly divided Senate (50 Republicans, 50 Democrats and Independents). Key hurdles to success lie in the objections of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), as well the pressures of the impending election in November. Sen. Manchin has outlined the components of a slimmed down reconciliation package he would be willing to consider, including issues related to climate change, prescription drug reform, and deficit reduction. Leadership is continuing to push toward finding a common ground with Sen. Manchin and others in order to get to the 50 votes needed to pass the package. While the future for reconciliation is uncertain and in many ways out of NFPRHA’s control, the recent leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey has the potential to secure legislative wins on reproductive health in a Senate that doesn’t have 60 votes to pass a proactive bill on abortion.
NFPRHA continues to work diligently with key stakeholders in Congress, and particularly in the Senate, to advance a request for $500 million in emergency funding for Title X and its inclusion in “must-pass” legislation—specifically budget reconciliation. The story below details how you can get involved in our advocacy efforts.
NFPRHA will continue to keep you updated on our emergency funding advocacy, as well as the broader outlook for reconciliation this year. If you have any questions, please contact Mindy McGrath, Senior Director of Policy & Communications at mmcgrath@nfprha.org.
How are Funding Cuts Impacting Your Agencies?
Our collective advocacy efforts to push for urgent Title X funding in a budget reconciliation package requires constant attention and engagement. It is more critical now than ever to bring to light all the ways in which Title X funding cuts are reverberating across the family planning safety net. To support NFPRHA’s Make it Right campaign, please share how your agencies are being impacted. Below are a few suggested ways to get involved:
If you have any questions or need assistance with media outreach, please contact Audrey Sandusky, Senior Director of Policy & Communications, at asandusky@nfprha.org. If you have trouble accessing any of the resources in this email, please contact Naomi Petersen, npetersen@nfprha.org, for assistance.
Update on Senate Action in Response to Leaked Draft Opinion from SCOTUS
In response to the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Senate is moving forward with vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), a full version of which the Senate voted on in February 2022 but did not pass. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed cloture yesterday, and a vote will happen sometime tomorrow (Wednesday, May 10). The version of WHPA that will be voted on this week does not include legislative findings—nonbinding statements that explain the overarching intent of the legislation—connecting the roots of anti-abortion laws to sexism, racism, and white supremacy. NFPRHA strongly supports the complete version of the bill that includes the findings, as well as the operative language. Unfortunately, even in its modified form, the bill is unlikely to garner the necessary 60 votes to overcome a filibuster on the bill. If you would like to contact your Senators and encourage them to vote yes on WHPA tomorrow, you can do so here.
Another bill, introduced by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in February 2022, has been raised by some as an option. NFPRHA joins its partners in the reproductive health, rights, and justice community in opposing this bill. With or without the protections of Roe, the bill, called the Reproductive Choice Act (S. 3713), fails to expressly prohibit pre-viability abortion bans and allows many harmful and medically unnecessary abortion restrictions to impede access. If Roe is overturned, the bill offers no assurance that pre-viability bans on abortion, such as the 15-week bans enacted in Arizona, Florida, and Kentucky, would be invalid. Likewise, the bill would not stop bans modeled after SB8 in Texas, like the six-week ban the Oklahoma Supreme Court declined to block last week, nor the more than 40 bills restricting access to medication abortion care in 24 states.
NFPRHA continues to monitor the situation as it unfolds and will keep you updated. If you have questions about the action in the Senate on WHPA and other bills, you can reach out to Mindy McGrath, mmcgrath@nfprha.org, Senior Director, Policy & Communications, or Lauren Weiss, lweiss@nfprha.org, Director, Policy & Communications. If you have questions about the upcoming Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, you can reach out to Robin Summers, rsummers@nfprha.org, Vice President of Health Care Strategy & Analysis and Senior Counsel.
House & Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittees Accepting Testimony
The Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) is currently accepting recommendations for fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding priorities. Testimony must follow the instructions provided here (PDF) and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET/ 2:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, May 11. The House Labor-HHS Subcommittee is also accepting testimony for FY 2023. The House instructions are available here (PDF) and the deadline is May 26. For a sample of what such testimony might include, please see NFPRHA’s FY 2022 testimony to Congress (PDF) urging $737 million in funding for Title X. If you have any questions on the appropriations process, please contact Lauren Weiss, Director, Policy & Communications, at lweiss@nfprha.org.
340B Recertification for Title X, STD Entities Scheduled Now-June 6
The annual 340B Program Recertification period for Title X Family Planning and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) (STD/TB) grantees is scheduled for May 9-June 6, 2022. All family planning and STD 340B covered entities must complete recertification during this period. If recertification is not completed, the entity will be terminated from the 340B program.
In order to recertify, Authorizing Officials (AOs) and Primary Contacts (PCs) must set up a user account in the 340B Office of Pharmacy Affairs Information System (340B OPAIS). Failure to set up user accounts will result in not being able to view accounts or conduct recertification, thus removal from the 340B program. AOs and PCs must create individual user accounts, they will not be able to share access. All active 340B ID’s associated with an AOs user account must be updated in order for recertification to be completed by the established deadline.
For assistance with the 340B OPAIS or questions regarding recertification, covered entities are encouraged to use the online help on the Health Resources & Services Administration HRSA website. For further assistance please contact the 340B call center operated by the 340B Prime Vendor Program at apexusanswers@340bpvp.com or 1-888-340-2787 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET).
If you have any questions about the 340B program, please contact Mindy McGrath, Senior Director, Policy & Communications, at mmcgrath@nfprha.org.
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Large-Scale Rallies for Abortion Access
Planned Parenthood, MoveOn, UltraViolet, Women’s March and other partners would like you to join in a mass mobilization across the country this Saturday, May 14, in reaction to the leaked Supreme Court opinion striking down Roe. More information, including a map and RSVP sign up, is available here.
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Thursday, May 12: Values-Based Abortion Messaging Training
Please join NFPRHA on Thursday, May 12, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. PT for an interactive messaging training on abortion. The session will cover the importance of using values-based messages, best practices for talking about abortion care, and how to underscore the importance of both contraceptive care and abortion. This webinar will be facilitated by the COMS Project and is open to all NFPRHA members interested in learning about how to most effectively communicate about abortion care and address stigma in the context of a growing crisis in abortion access. Facilitators at the COMS Project will also share tips for answering tough questions.
This session is part of NFPRHA’s 2022 Abortion Conversations series, and no previous messaging or communications experience is required. You may register for the webinar here. If you have questions about the webinar’s content or registering, please contact Lauren Weiss at lweiss@nfprha.org.
May 25: Mobile Health Unit Peer-to-Peer Learning Session
To achieve health equity for all patients, providers must increase access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning and sexual health services. Mobile health units present an opportunity for NFPRHA members to bring needed health services directly to priority populations, especially in communities that face systemic barriers to care and in rural/frontier areas without easy access to brick-and-mortar health centers. These “clinics” take many forms, including buses, vans, RVs, and trailers that can travel to communities to provide clinical services and health education.
Although mobile health units present as a straightforward fix for overcoming common barriers to accessing health care, especially geography and time, there are many considerations that health care organizations must work through as part of the exploration, pre-implementation, and initial implementation processes. These considerations relate to funding, licensure, use of 340B drugs, staffing, outreach, safety, and data capture, among other topics.
Please join us Wednesday, May 25, at 2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. PT, for this learning session, an opportunity for funders and providers of direct services to come together to discuss these many considerations and potential strategies to address them with peers. Advanced registration is required.
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