FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2021
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, (202) 344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org

NFPRHA Supports Proposed Changes to Strengthen Title X, Urges Swift Action to Finalize New Rule

Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) submitted public comments in response to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule to repair and rebuild the Title X family planning program.

NFPRHA welcomes proposed regulations that return Title X to its core mission of delivering high-quality family planning and sexual health services to people with low incomes.

“Harmful program restrictions imposed by the previous administration have prompted a tragic unraveling of the family planning safety net and created enormous problems with access to care in communities nationwide,” said Clare Coleman, President & CEO of NFPRHA. “The Biden administration’s proposed changes will not only bring trusted family planning providers out of the crisis created by the 2019 rule, but it will mean needed relief to millions of people who rely on our nation’s family planning program for health care every year.”

The 2019 rule drastically undermined this critical safety-net program, to the significant detriment of the public’s health. Title X-funded providers saw an estimated 2.5 million fewer patients in 2020 than they did in 2018. Six states have no Title X-funded health centers at all, and several more have only a handful of providers left.

Among its recommendations, available in the link below, NFPRHA encouraged HHS to elevate the critical role a diverse network of health care professionals plays in the Title X program, to support evidence-based standards of family planning care, and to emphasize the importance of modernizing elements of the program when finalizing the rule.

“Revoking the ill-conceived, harmful 2019 rule is a critical step toward restoring health care access to areas of the country that have been without Title X funding for nearly two years,” said Coleman. “We are pleased the Biden administration is taking action to rectify the damage done to our nation’s family planning safety net and prioritize and expand access to family planning and sexual health care for people living with low incomes.”

To access NFPRHA's full comments, click here (PDF).