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California – In the dark of night, House Republicans – including ALL California Republican representatives – passed a federal budget reconciliation bill that would “defund” Planned Parenthood, ban the use of federal funding for gender-affirming care in Medicaid and CHIP for people of all ages, and seek to eliminate federal payments to plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplace that include abortion coverage.
If Congressional Republicans succeed in “defunding” Planned Parenthood, health centers and patients across the country are at risk. This includes the nearly one million people – predominantly women, people of color, people in rural communities, and people with low incomes – served annually by the seven California Planned Parenthood affiliates. The 115 Planned Parenthood health centers in California provide care to nearly a third of all Planned Parenthood patients nationally and one in four people in California has received care from a Planned Parenthood health center. “Defunding” Planned Parenthood means that the Californians who rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for care will be unable to access essential health care services including birth control, abortion, wellness visits, STI tests, and cancer screenings. It also means that people who depend on California for abortion access will have an even harder time accessing care.
A poll released last week found that two-thirds of California voters oppose Congressional proposals to cut Medicaid and 76% are concerned about Congress eliminating federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Despite Congressional Republicans’ extreme anti-abortion actions, we know that Californians overwhelmingly support abortion access and voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
Statement from Jenna Tosh, President, Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund:
“House Republicans should be ashamed of themselves for putting the health care of over a million people who go to Planned Parenthood health centers at risk because they care more about banning abortion and giving tax cuts to billionaires than the constituents they were elected to serve. At a time when barriers to reproductive healthcare are mounting across the country, we call on our state and federal lawmakers to protect California patients and stop efforts to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood.”
Statement from Jodi Hicks, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California:
“The votes made by California House Republicans to slash Medicaid and ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood go squarely against what their constituents want and need. It is beyond shameful that these lawmakers care more about opposing abortion and giving tax breaks to billionaires than the basic health and freedoms of people in their very own districts. ‘Defunding’ Planned Parenthood would be devastating to California’s health care system – Californians will lose access to critical, lifesaving health care and health disparities across the state will worsen significantly. We must fight to protect Planned Parenthood health centers in California. As a Reproductive Freedom State, there is simply no other option.”
REMINDER:
- “Defunding” Planned Parenthood is unpopular. 73% voters nationwide oppose a Congressional defund, including 55% of Trump voters.
- 70% of patients at PPCCC health centers rely on Medicaid programs to fund their health care (Gold Coast, CenCal, Family PACT). Cuts to Medicaid and Medi-Cal are the single biggest threat to PPCCC’s ability to maintain services on the Central Coast.
- Every year, Planned Parenthood California Central Coast health centers provide care to nearly 30,000 patients on the Central Coast at six health centers. SErvices include STI testing and treatments, Pap tests, breast exams, birth control, HPV vaccines, abortion care, gender affirming care, menopause services, and more. In California alone, Planned Parenthood health centers serve nearly one million people annually.
- At least 55% of Planned Parenthood patients rely on federally funded programs to get care at Planned Parenthood, and over 80% of Planned Parenthood patients in California rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s name for its Medicaid program, to access health care. If Planned Parenthood is defunded by Congress, many patients won’t be able to get care at Planned Parenthood health centers – and as recent reports show, these patients can’t be absorbed by other health care providers. Most will have nowhere else to go for care.
- Defunding Planned Parenthood will cost taxpayers nationwide nearly $300 million.
- No other provider can step in and replace Planned Parenthood for the patients that will lose care, according to new Guttmacher Institute research.
The Planned Parenthood Central Coast Action Fund is the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast. Our mission is to expand access to quality reproductive health care for all, including safe and legal abortion, through community education, public policy initiatives, and support for candidates committed to this work.
