Perry: State will fund Women's Health Program
Texas Governor Rick Perry yesterday told reporters that the state will figure out a way to continue the Women's Health Program (WHP). Perry is quoted as saying, "We'll find the money. The state is committed to this program. This program is not going away."
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Perry sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHSC) Executive Commissioner Thomas Suehs directing him to work with legislative leaders to identify funding.
This is stunning news, breaking the standoff between the state of Texas and the federal government, which would have meant the end of the program on March 14. The impasse has existed because HHSC was directed by the state legislature to exclude Planned Parenthood from the program, while the federal Medicaid statute requires that any willing and qualified provider be allowed to participate in Medicaid programs.
WHP provides preventive care and birth control -- not abortion -- to Texas women ages 18 to 44 who would be eligible for Medicaid if they were pregnant. Currently, the federal government pays $9 and Texas pays $1 of every $10 spent in the program. As it is structured currently, WHP serves about 130,000 women each year and saves Texas $10 for each $1 it spends.
Perry's plan would mean that Texas would pay the entire cost of this vital program. WHP is especially critical to Texas women's health after the massive cuts to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Family Planning program that have caused clinics all over the state to close and cut back preventive services.
As the excellent policy paper from the Center for Public Policy Priorities outlines, a State-Only WHP is a poor choice because there are not enough providers to meet the needs of low-income women. Planned Parenthood clinics served over 40% of the women in WHP, and other providers have not stepped up to meet the need, which is much larger than 130,000. Community health centers do not have the capacity to meet the needs. Private providers have been reluctant to get involved in a program that pays little and covers only preventive services.
Today's Texas Tribune emphasizes that there are many questions still unanswered by the Governor's move to have the state cover all WHP's costs. Whether there will be enough providers will depend on whether the physicians, clinics, and other medical providers can step up to meet the need.
