Capitol News: Hard Times for Family Planning in Texas
With less than 3 weeks left in the 82nd Texas Legislative session, cutbacks loom for both the Texas Medicaid Women's Health Program (WHP) and for the Texas Family Planning program.
Hard Times Part 1: As outlined in the San Antonio Express-News article by Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje, the WHP-renewal bills likely to pass have language to assure that affiliates of abortion providers (Planned Parenthood clinics) cannot participate in the program. These bills (SB 1854 by Sen. Deuell and HB 2299 by Reps. Coleman and Naishtat) would renew WHP, but would stop the program if Planned Parenthood, or another provider, successfully sued to be included in WHP. (Some have referred to this provision as the "nuclear option".)
WHP provides checkups and birth control, but not abortion, to low-income women age 18-44. As a demonstration project, WHP will end in December 2011 unless it is reauthorized by the legislature. Texas saves $10 for each $1 it puts into the program, and renewal of WHP is estimated to save the state over $83 million in the next biennium. Currently, about 40% of the approximately 120,000 women receiving WHP each year are served by Planned Parenthood clinics.
There is concern that excluding Planned Parenthood clinics will mean that fewer women will be able to get preventive care and birth control. In her testimony before the Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee, Dr. Janet Realini expressed the concerns of the Healthy Futures Alliance (HFA), Texas Medical Association (TMA), and other physician organizations, that decreasing the number of providers will mean more unplanned pregnancies; higher health risks for mothers and babies; increased costs; and more abortions. Faced with a choice of these bills or no WHP renewal, HFA, TMA, and the Women's Health and Family Planning Association of Texas reluctantly supported SB 1854.
Hard Times, Part 2: The Texas Family Planning Program, which uses federal Title V, X, and XX funds, is the other source for preventive care and contraception (not abortion) for low-income women. The House budget diverts a huge amount, $61.7 million of the total $99.6 million, to other programs. These cuts would mean that 284,000 fewer women will receive services, costing Texas an additional $98 million in Medicaid costs. Clinics that are not Planned Parenthood clinics will likely close.
The Senate budget did not make such cuts, and now the House-Senate Budget Conference Committee must reconcile the differences. House Conferees have been instructed not to restore family planning funding. While such instructions are not binding, they may signify that these deep cuts will remain.
How YOU Can Help
Please call the House and Senate Budget Conferees THIS WEEK. Urge them to restore funding for family planning in the budget. Family planning is the most effective way to prevent unplanned pregnancies and abortions-and to save the state millions of dollars. Telephone calls make a difference!
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst: 1-888-474-2166
Senator Robert Duncan: 1-888-723-0408
Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa: 1-888-812-0531
Senator Jane Nelson: 1-888-514-5807
Senator Steve Ogden: 1-888-510-4580
Senator Tommy Williams: 1-888-514-8930
Speaker of the House Joe Straus at 1-888-649-8030
Representative Myra Crownover: 1-888-958-8864
Representative John Otto: 1-888-664-2670
Representative Jim Pitts: 1-888-823-9190
Representative Sylvester Turner: 1-888-828-0051
Representative John Zerwas: 1-888-838-0224
