Enact the Medicaid Family Planning State Option
Protect Health Care for Women and Families in Iowa
The following is a guest column by Judy Waxman, Vice President of Health & Reproductive Rights at the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). Prior to joining the NWLC, Ms. Waxman served as Deputy Executive Director at Families USA
where she worked to achieve high quality, affordable health and
long-term care for all Americans and was a leader on Medicaid, Medicare
and other health care access legislative issues. She holds a law
degree from American University and a bachelor's degree from the
University of Miami, in Florida.
~ By now it’s clear and undeniable: families in Iowa, and across the nation, are struggling to stay afloat – to keep their homes, put food on the table, and pay their bills. This means that families may increasingly sacrifice a number of regular health expenses to help make ends meet, including the often monthly expense of birth control. Yet foregoing basic health care needs can have serious, harmful health and economic consequences.
Iowa has taken an important step toward improving women’s health by applying for a federal waiver to expand access to basic family planning services under the state’s Medicaid program. Family planning extends far beyond birth control – a typical family planning visit includes: a pelvic exam; screenings for breast and reproductive cancers, high blood pressure, and diabetes; tests for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; counseling about a woman’s plans for pregnancy, and, if appropriate, a prescription for contraception.
Unfortunately, Iowa Family Planning Demonstration Project is set to expire in January 2011, and the Iowa Medicaid department—already facing increased demand for its resources as a result of the economic crisis—will have to overcome considerable bureaucratic hurdles to renew this successful program.
Congress should enact legislation, known as the “Medicaid Family Planning State Option,” that would give Iowa the flexibility it needs to maintain and improve this critical program – which provides basic health care to almost 24,000 women in the state. This common-sense legislation helps states like Iowa give low-income women the care they need, right away.
In addition, this family planning expansion will save millions of dollars that states can then put toward other pressing needs. In its waiver application, Iowa estimated that the program would save almost $36 million in public funds, including savings of $24.7 million to the state and $11.3 million to the federal government. For FY09, Iowa is facing a budget gap totaling $484 million – so taking advantage of the Medicaid Family Planning State Option would be a savvy way to reduce the shortfall while also helping Iowa’s families most in need.
The Obama Administration and leaders in Congress have clearly stated their support for family planning and for this proposal – and we call on them to act quickly to enact this important legislation. It’s a smart step to getting Iowa and our country back on track for a better, and healthier, future.
To learn more about the impact the Medicaid Family Planning State Option could have in Iowa, click here to view NWLC’s fact sheet.
The National Women's Law Center is a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to advance and protect women's legal rights. The Center focuses on major policy areas of importance to women and their families including economic security, education, employment and health, with special attention given to the concerns of low-income women.
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