|
Fast Facts
Low-Income Women's Access to Family Planning
Why is funding for family planning services essential for low-income women's health? |
All women should have access to basic reproductive health care regardless of their income, but the high cost of health care and health insurance makes family planning services unavailable to many women. Title X is the federal program that provides essential funding to family planning clinics that serve many low-income women. Also, some states are able to improve coverage for family planning services by applying for and receiving a waiver from the federal government's Medicaid program. States that obtain a waiver are able to expand certain eligibility requirements for Medicaid-funded family planning services and thus provide more women with access to this basic medical care. |
CURRENT STATE LAWS
26 states currently provide certain low-income women coverage for Medicaid-funded reproductive health care services through a waiver obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid: AL, AZ, AR, CA, DE, FL, IL, IA, LA, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VA, WA, WI.
|
CURRENT FEDERAL LAWSTitle X of the Public Health Service Act grants federal funds to family planning clinics that provide comprehensive reproductive health services to low-income women, uninsured women, and women who cannot qualify for Medicaid. For many women, Title X clinics provide the only basic health care that they receive. |
2007 FEDERAL LEGISLATION
The Prevention First Act contains a number of preventive-health and education measures designed to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and, therefore, the need for abortion. Among other provisions, this bill includes provisions that would increase funding for the national family planning program, Title X, and expand Medicaid family planning services to cover more low-income women. |
2007 OTHER FEDERAL ACTIVITYIn August 2006, the FDA approved the emergency contraceptive Plan B® for over-the-counter sales to women ages 18 and over. While the approval marked a significant step forward in advancing women's access to contraception, over-the-counter Plan B® remains too expensive for many women to afford. | |
