Couldn’t Make It to Albany? You Can Still Take Part in Day of Action!

Priority 1:

Increase Medicaid reimbursement for medication abortion.

Why we want it:

Medicaid is a pivotal program used by over 50% of Planned Parenthood patients. Unfortunately, the program does not reimburse providers what it costs them to provide medication abortions. This makes it hard for providers to invest in staff and their facilities in ways that improve and expand access.

What to say when you call your representatives:

• Medicaid providers are reimbursed significantly less than what it costs them to deliver medication abortion care, causing the loss of hundreds of dollars every time they provide that care to a Medicaid patient.
• Over 50% of patients at Planned Parenthood health centers rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. 
• Increasing reimbursement for medication abortion will strengthen the ability of Planned Parenthood and other safety-net providers to deliver care to all who need it. 
• Other abortion-access states like California, Illinois, and Oregon have recently taken steps to increase Medicaid reimbursement for medication abortion. New York must follow their lead.

Priority 2:

Enact and fund the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program (RFEP) (A.361-A/S.348-B) sponsored by Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and Senator Cordell Cleare. 

Why we want it:

This would establish a grant program in the Department of Health with the specific goal of investing in abortion access and the abortion care network.

What to say when you call your representatives:

• This program would provide funding for investments in equipment, facilities, provider training, and recruitment, and security upgrades that strengthen and expand access to care.
• This program also compensates health care providers for delivering care to people who lack insurance coverage.
• The RFEP invests in abortion funds, which are critical non-profit organizations that help individuals facing barriers to accessing abortion care like transportation, childcare, lodging, or the cost of care. They are important resources for patients navigating logistical and financial barriers that may otherwise prevent them from accessing the care they need.

What we want:

Comprehensive Sex Education for all New York State Youth. 

Why we want it:

Information is power. When young people have the tools they need to make healthy decisions about their bodies and their relationships, they have a brighter future. Sex education has been shown to improve health outcomes, positively impact interpersonal relationships, and benefit our youth. Despite this, New York State has no standard for the sex ed young people get – only that they receive introductory information about HIV/AIDS. As a result, the information young people have is reliant entirely on the resources where they live. We need to make our schools a place where every child can get the education they need to thrive.

What to say when you call your representatives:

• Sex education is essential to young people’s health and has been proven to help them develop important life skills, become more thoughtful about the world around them, and make healthy decisions about their future. 
• New Yorkers overwhelmingly believe that young people should have access to sex education. 
• Unfortunately, the lack of a requirement and inconsistent quality of programs, based on where young people live, leads to inequities in the information and skills young people acquire. 
• This legislation will require that all New York public and charter schools provide medically accurate, age-appropriate, inclusive sex education informed by national standards, to students in grades K-12. 
• This will ensure all young people – particularly those in rural areas, youth with lower incomes, communities of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and immigrant youth — have the information and skills they need to make the best decisions for themselves and lead their healthiest lives.