The latest Montana legislative session launched endless attacks on abortion care with bills attempting to undermine access to reproductive health care.  Other tactics to offset any progress in pregnancy prevention also emerged:  Conservative Republicans eagerly promoted their agenda to thwart efforts to improve access to sexual health care, teen sex education and access to contraception for low-income women.   For those of us who work directly with individuals in need of prevention services this is seemingly contradictory to the intention of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies.

Also a focus of both the Montana and National Legislative efforts were the bills cutting public funding for family planning agencies providing services to low-income women and men, Title X being the most specific program that addresses sexual health and prevention needs.  Planned Parenthoods were the most visible target of these efforts, although there are numerous non-profit health centers that are not affiliated with Planned Parenthoods impacted by these funding cuts nationally and in Montana. Blue Mountain Clinic is not a Title X recipient, 340B program or government funded agency so many of the bills and funding cuts do not impact our services.

However, we have watched in anticipation for the implementation of the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver. The waiver was intended to expand Family Planning services to about 4,000 low-income women of childbearing age and was expected to begin this year. The waiver would have decreased the number of unintended pregnancies, improved the overall health of enrollees, and saved money for the Montana Medicaid program.  After several years of process to begin the expansion, Republicans opposed Governor Schweitzer's efforts to expand Medicaid Family Planning Services to women in the blink of an eye. 

For more details on the 2011 Legislative session and upcoming ballot initiatives: 

http://www.prochoicemontana.org/

COALITION PARTNERS

Blue Mountain Clinic would like to thank our coalition partners who tirelessly advocated on behalf of reproductive justice in Helena this session:

• ACLU of Montana
• Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
• Montana Human Rights Network
• NARAL Pro-Choice Montana
• Planned Parenthood of Montana

We also want to thank and acknowledge Governor Schweitzer and his efforts to veto bills that would have harmed women and families, and likely been found unconstitutional and/or unenforceable.   

Last year Blue Mountain Clinic received notice that our price for IUDs was going up.  Not because this is a new prescriptive device, but because the 340B program (a program that provides discounts to eligible health care providers) pricing was going down.

A little over a year ago prices increased from $468 to $703 for a Mirena IUD.  The cost to agencies eligible for the discounts = $356

To give you an idea of the savings that funded agencies have the ability to provide for their clients:

            Funded     Non-Funded

Depo Provera                     $17                $78

Nuvaring #3                       $47               $189

Plan B                                  $15                 $34

Ortho Evra Patches         $127              $399

For the last three years Blue Mountain Clinic has researched options for becoming an eligible entity able to purchase contraceptives at an affordable price to pass these savings on to our eligible clients.  Yet the process to apply for the nominal pricing program is not geared towards safety net services not funded through Federal grants, even if the populations served are appropriate to benefit the purpose of the programs. 

We get asked a lot if we are a sliding scale health center. The answer is that we are not government funded and therefore not required to adapt pricing for low income patients.  We do accept Medicaid and Medicare clients and all insurance types and provide a 20% discount for office visits paid at the time of service.  These are the efforts we are able to make to accommodate the needs in our community.

Too often, well intended people will voice support for the work Blue Mountain Clinic provides as well as mention their monetary support of visibly targeted sexual health providers. Donations to organizations like Planned Parenthood may contribute to the support of a funded agency who is at risk in current legislative efforts, but does not address the needs of agencies like Blue Mountain Clinic that have maintained independence for the very reasons this session highlighted.

The challenges are great for reproductive justice in an era that has not only marginalized abortion care in our country, but has launched an all out attack on contraceptive access, women's equality, and the realities of women's sexual health needs. 

Please consider a gift of support today to the Blue Mountain Clinic Access Fund. This is an allocated fund that provides access to services, contraceptives and assistance for travel to women who are ineligible for other funding support. 

To make a donation, visit www.bluemountainclinic.org

or mail your donation, marked 

"Access Fund," to

Blue Mountain Clinic 

610 N. California St. Missoula, MT 59802