PPHP Praises Obama Administration’s Proposal to Rescind Bush HHS Midnight Rule

For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014

Share This

(Hawthorne, NY) - Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) applauds the Obama administration for proposing a rule to rescind a Bush midnight regulation that undermines the country’s ailing health care system as well as patients’ access to health care information and services.

“It is clear from the proposed rule that the Obama administration is committed to putting patients’ care and women’s health first.  The rule is a commonsense fix to a devastating regulation that jeopardized patients’ access to services and information,” said Reina Schiffrin, President/CEO, PPHP.  “The current rule undermines health care access and creates chaos in an already stressed health care system, particularly for low-income women and families whose options are already limited. Patients deserve access to complete and accurate health care information and services. Today’s action shows that this Administration understands and will meet this need.”

The Bush administration’s regulation issued in August 2008 limits access to patient care and denies access to health services, disproportionately injuring those in rural areas and the underserved.  According to the Obama administration proposed rule, posted on the Office of the Federal Register’s website, the Department of Health and Human Services believes that the many unaddressed comments on the Bush administration rule raised a number of questions that “warrant further careful consideration.”

The strong bipartisan support to reverse the Bush rule includes 150 members of Congress, Governors, Attorneys General, State Legislators, and non-governmental healthcare workers and advocates.

The next step in the rule making process is allowing for public comment. Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic urges supporters to comment on the rule and show their support for this new rule. The public is asked to post their comments via https://www.plannedparenthood.org/.

###

Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, Inc (PPHP) is the 16^th largest affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and operates 13 medical centers in Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties.  In 2008, PPHP provided services to over 36,000 patients in over 70,000 visits.  We conducted over 1,800 education programs reaching more than 30,000 youth and adults, and mobilized approximately 10,000 advocates to protect reproductive health care rights.  PPHP has served the community for 75 years, and is dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to make responsible choices regarding their sexuality and sexual health.  Planned Parenthood has done more to reduce the incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy than any other health care provider or advocacy group.  PPHP is headquartered in Hawthorne NY. For more information about PPHP services and programs, visit pphp.org.