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“Defunding” Planned Parenthood would deny millions access to cancer screenings,

birth control, and STD testing and treatment

Cecile Richards: “This is the worst bill for women’s health in a generation. It makes it harder to prevent unintended pregnancy, harder to have a healthy pregnancy, and harder to raise a family.”

 

Washington, DC – Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the worst women’s health legislation in a generation. The American Health Care Act would:

  • Take away health coverage for 24 million people.

  • “Defund” Planned Parenthood by blocking people who rely on Medicaid from accessing preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers -- including birth control, cancer screenings, and STD testing and treatment.

  • Eliminate protections that restrict insurance companies from charging people with pre-existing conditions unaffordable rates. Under this bill, health insurance companies could once again charge people tens of thousands of dollars a month because they had cancer.

  • Undermine Essential Health Benefits standards, including maternity coverage and prescription drugs, which disproportionately affect women.

  • Gut the Medicaid program, which approximately 1 in 4 women of reproductive age rely on to access no-cost, critical reproductive health care such as birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, and maternity care.

  • Reduce access to no-cost preventive services, including birth control.

  • Impose a nationwide ban on private insurance coverage of abortion.

The American Health Care Act, including the provision to prohibit people with Medicaid coverage from accessing preventive care at Planned Parenthood, has drawn widespread opposition from health care experts, including the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, members of Congress from both parties, and a clear majority of American voters.

This is the second time in two months that House Republicans have tried to “defund” Planned Parenthood. The original version of the American Health Care Act, which did not receive a vote in late March, also included such a provision. That bill faced intense opposition from Republicans and Democrats alike.

If enacted, prohibiting individuals from accessing preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers would have a devastating impact on the 2.5 million people who rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for essential health services.

In March, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the “defund” Planned Parenthood provision would result in reduced access to care for patients who live in areas where Planned Parenthood is the only health care option and where Planned Parenthood serves low-income populations. More than half of Planned Parenthood health centers are in health professional shortage areas, rural or medically underserved areas. Experts have repeatedly said that other providers cannot absorb Planned Parenthood’s patients.  

Statement by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America said:

This is the worst bill for women’s health in a generation. This disastrous legislation once again makes being a woman a pre-existing condition; ‘defunds’ Planned Parenthood; guts maternity coverage; strips 24 million of their health insurance; lets insurance companies charge people with pre-existing conditions exorbitant rates; forces new moms back to work shortly after giving birth; and reduces access to contraception.  

“In short, this bill makes it harder to prevent unintended pregnancy, harder to have a healthy pregnancy, and harder to raise a family. Alarm bells should be ringing in every house across America.

“One in five women in this country rely on Planned Parenthood for care. They will not stay silent as politicians vote to take away their care and their rights. Women and men across the country will fight to protect access to Planned Parenthood and to defeat this bill.

“The Senate should listen to the American people and reject the worst bill for women’s health in a generation.

Three Republican Senators have publicly stated opposition to “defunding” Planned Parenthood. Senator Susan Collins and Senator Lisa Murkowski have been clear in their opposition. In April, Senator Dean Heller, in a town hall with 600 of his constituents, said he would “protect Planned Parenthood.” Nevadans expect him to keep his word.

As attention turns toward the Senate, three things are clear:

  1. The Senate does not have the votes to pass the House version of the American Health Care Act, which includes “defunding” Planned Parenthood.

  2. The Senate should listen to the 80% of voters who support Planned Parenthood and oppose efforts to block people from getting care at Planned Parenthood.” (Quinnipiac Poll, 3/23/17)

  3. The American people want Congress to keep the protections in the Affordable Care Act. A recent ABC-Washington Post poll shows that 62 percent of Americans, including 67 percent of independents, want to keep national protections that cover essential health benefits, and not allow it to be varied by state

The term “defunding” Planned Parenthood is a misnomer. Planned Parenthood does not get a blank check from the federal government, and it’s not a line item in the federal budget. Planned Parenthood receives reimbursements, just like hospitals and other health care organizations, for providing preventive care. Federal law already blocks federal funding from going to abortion services.

FACT SHEET: The American Health Care Act is the worst bill for women’s health in a generation.

Blocks low-income patients from receiving health care at Planned Parenthood health centers. Every year, 2.5 million women, men, and young people rely on Planned Parenthood for essential health care services, like birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings. Many of these people, particularly those in rural areas and medically underserved areas, will have nowhere else to turn to for care if Planned Parenthood health centers are forced to close their doors. Women should be able to choose their health care provider the same as politicians in Washington, DC. Despite false claims, community health centers simply cannot absorb Planned Parenthood’s patients. States like Texas and Wisconsin have suffered serious public health consequences when communities lost access to Planned Parenthood.

Eliminates protections for the millions with pre-existing conditions. By removing the community rating provision, insurers would be allowed to once again charge people with pre-existing conditions an exorbitant amount for coverage. The community rating provision prohibits people from being charged more based on health status, gender, health status, occupation, and age.

Discriminates against women. Despite the fact that the proposal claims to maintain the current prohibition on gender rating, it still allows insurers to once again discriminate against women. Eliminating the community rating provision disproportionately affects women –insurers can claim having given birth, having had a C-section, or having been a survivor of domestic violence is a so-called pre-existing condition. For example, a woman who had breast cancer could be charged a premium surcharge of more than $28,000 per year for coverage, and a woman who was previously pregnant could face an additional surcharge of  more than $17,000 per year for coverage.

Eliminates maternity coverage, newborn care and other Essential Health Benefits (EHB) coverage standards. The bill guts the Essential Health Benefits provision, which requires the majority of health plans to cover services like maternity and newborn care, mental health services, and prescription drugs.  Approximately 13 million women who gained access to maternity coverage under the ACA stand to lose their coverage. Women also benefit from the EHB in other ways; for example, women are more likely to need prescription drugs to manage their health care needs, develop mental health needs, and require lab services to diagnose autoimmune disorders. This is a direct attack on women of all ages, since women disproportionately rely on every one of the EHB standards – not just maternity coverage. (Full list below)

Forces new mothers with Medicaid coverage to find work shortly after giving birth. The bill gives states the option to impose work requirements as a condition of obtaining Medicaid coverage. It also gives states the ability to revoke Medicaid from new mothers if they don’t find work within 60 days of giving birth. Work requirements are generally unnecessary and harmful, as nearly 60 percent of Medicaid enrollees who can work do, and if they don’t work it’s as a result of a major impediment. Work requirements disproportionately impact women as they account for 62 percent of Medicaid enrollees who are not working. Work requirements for new mothers are especially harmful.

Kicks millions of women and men off their insurance. The CBO reports that 24 million people will lose coverage over the next 10 years, 14 million of which will lose Medicaid coverage due to the bill's measures to kick people off of Medicaid.

Ends Medicaid expansion. The AHCA will effectively end the Medicaid expansion, which has provided coverage to at least 11 million people, starting January 1, 2018, and will result in women, disproportionately women of color, losing critical access to care. Approximately 20 percent of women of reproductive age rely on Medicaid to access no-cost, critical reproductive health care such as birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, and maternity care.

Guts the Medicaid program. The AHCA provides states the option to receive federal payments in the form of a block grant or per capita cap, both of which will slash the amount of federal support states receive today and will force states to either come up with extra money or make difficult decisions about which services, benefits, or eligibility groups to cut. Reduced federal funds for state Medicaid programs will disproportionately harm women -- women of color, in particular. For example, to save money, states may choose to limit coverage of prenatal visits and family planning services, or states may cut people from their programs.

Imposing Additional Costs on Women. The AHCA will require people to pay more for less coverage. First, the bill reduces financial assistance by repealing the existing cost-sharing subsidies that assist with copays and deductibles, and replacing the ACA-created tax credits, which fluctuate by need, with less generous tax credits for low- and middle-income individuals. This will disproportionately impact women, particularly women of color, given the inequities in earnings for women, and exacerbate health care disparities, given insured people of color already report less confidence in being able to afford care.

Reduces women’s access to no-copay birth control. While the bill does not specifically repeal the no-copay birth control benefit, the fact that millions of women will lose coverage means they will no longer have access to no-copay birth control. Under the ACA, more than 55 million women gained access to no-copay birth control in the private insurance market, and approximately 16.7 million women benefit from Medicaid coverage, which also covers birth control at no cost. Paying out-of-pocket for birth control pills can cost a woman up to $600 per year, which is simply unaffordable for many young women and people with low incomes. A recent poll found that 33 percent of women could not afford to pay more than $10 for birth control.

Creates a nationwide ban on abortion coverage. The AHCA will coerce insurance plans to drop coverage of abortion because it will prohibit individuals from using their federal financial help to purchase a plan on or off the ACA Marketplace that covers abortion. At least 870,000 women will lose access to ACA Marketplace insurance plans that cover their full reproductive health care needs, including abortion, and millions more could lose access to abortion coverage in other plans given this provision extends outside of the Marketplace. Insurance plans, when not barred by state law, typically cover abortion. Women, no matter how much money they make or how they get health insurance -- should be able to able to access the full-range of reproductive health care, including abortion and make their own decisions about pregnancy based on their own unique circumstances.

FACT SHEET: Rolling Back the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits Will Hurt Women

1. AMBULATORY CARE: Women make up approximately 60% of outpatient visits.

2. EMERGENCY SERVICES: Women account for 6 in 10 visits to the emergency room.

3. HOSPITALIZATIONS: Women are 70% more likely than men to have had an in-patient hospital stay.

4. MATERNITY & NEWBORN CARE: Approximately 13 million women could stand to lose maternity coverage. Prior to the ACA only 12% of individual market health plans covered maternity care. And, prior to the ACA, some insurance plans did not cover C-sections at all; when they did, they charged women 25 percent more in premiums.

5. MENTAL HEALTH & SUBSTANCE USE: Women are 40% more likely than men to have mental health needs. Additionally, women are roughly 75% more likely than men to report having recently suffered from depression.

6. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: Women are more likely than men to need prescription drugs to meet their daily health care needs.

7. REHABILITATIVE SERVICES: Women are more likely to suffer from a stroke and require rehabilitative services to help them regain motor or speaking skills.

8. LAB TESTS: Some of the most common lab tests are specifically geared to women, including pap smears, pregnancy tests, mammograms, brca gene testing (breast cancer testing), and many other lab services that are necessary to diagnose and treat conditions that disproportionately impact women like autoimmune disorders, thyroid disorders, and urinary tract infections.

9. PREVENTIVE SERVICES & CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT: 55 million have received access to no cost birth control, well-woman visits, domestic violence screenings, and STI/HIV screenings thanks to the ACA.

10. PEDIATRIC SERVICES. In two-parent households where at least one parent is a woman, women tend to bear a disproportionate share of childcare and caregiving responsibility for children. In addition, 80% of  single-parent households are headed by women.

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