Take Action: Vote scheduled for tomorrow. Urge Your Senators to Oppose the Blunt Amendment!

Earlier this month, the Obama administration issued a revised birth control policy to accommodate concerns from religious organizations and ensure access to contraception for all women. Despite these accommodations, religious groups and political leaders are continuing their fight to deny essential health benefits to millions of female employees, and now they've taken it one step further.

Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) attached an amendment to a transportation bill (S. 1813) sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that seeks to allow ANY employer to deny coverage for their employees for ANY health services it deems immoral.

Senator Blunt has obviously gone too far and his dangerous amendment must be stopped when it comes up for a vote in the Senate tomorrow.

Take Action!

1.    Contact your Senators. Although our Senators stand strongly with us, they are receiving calls from constituents who think the Blunt Amendment is a good idea. Call and/or email your Senators today and urge them to oppose the Blunt Amendment.

For Senator Barbara Boxer, call (202) 224-3553 or send her an email here.

For Senator Dianne Feinstein, call (202) 224-3841 or send her an email here.

Sample Phone Message:

As a supporter of affordable access to healthcare, including preventative services like birth control, I urge the Senator to vote NO on the Blunt Amendment.

Sample Email Message:

As a supporter of affordable access to healthcare, including preventative services like birth control, I urge you to vote NO on the Blunt Amendment. The amendment would put millions of women in danger of not receiving the care they need. Vote NO on the Blunt Amendment to S. 1813.

2.    Go Social. Oppose the Blunt Amendment and attacks on women's health through your social networks.

Sample Twitter Messages:

@SenatorBoxer Vote NO on the #BluntAmendment to protect #womenshealth & access to #birthcontrol.

@SenFeinstein #Supportwomen and Vote NO on the #BluntAmendment!

#BluntAmendment puts 2.3 million California #women at risk for losing preventative #healthcare.

Helpful Links to Share on Facebook:

Fact Sheet on the Blunt Amendment

The Blunt Amendment in One Minute

Fiscal Year 2013 Funding for Selected Public Health Programs

 Fiscal Year 2013 Funding for Selected Public Health Programs

($ in millions)

Program	FY 2013 President’s Proposed Budget	FY 2012 President’s Proposed Budget	Change from FY 2012 President’s Budget	FY 2012 Estimated
Title X Family Planning	$296.8	$327.4	-$30.6	$293.9
Title V MCH Block Grant	$640	$654	-$14	$639
Title XX Social Services Block Grant	$1,700	$1,700	0	$1,697
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative	$105	$120	-$15	$104.6
Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)	$75	$75	0	$75
Title V State Abstinence Grant Program	$50	$50	0	$50
Abstinence-Only Until Marriage Program	0	0	0	$4.9
CDC HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention	$1,146	$1,157	-$11	$1,100
HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (Ryan White AIDS Programs)	$2,447	$2,375	$72	$2,375
Community Health Centers (FQHCs)*	$3,100	$3,300	-$200	$2,780
Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF)**	$1,250	$1,000	$250	$1,000

*Includes both discretionary funding as well as mandatory funding authorized through the ACA.
**CDC received the majority ($244 million) of the increase for FY 2012.

President Releases FY 2013 Budget Proposal, Flat Funds Title X

While the President took a strong stand last week in support of increasing access to affordable birth control and family planning services, the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 funding proposal released today failed to restore critical funding for the Title X program.

In his FY 2013 budget proposal, President Obama called for Title X to be flat-funded at the FY 2012 level of $296.8 million. This represents a $30.6 million reduction from the president’s FY 2012 budget request for the Title X program of $327.4 million. The President’s drop in funding support for Title X comes on the heels of the program being cut by $23.6 million (7.4%) in less than two years amidst an increase in need for Title X funded services caused by the recession.

The President’s funding request also proposed reduced funding levels for several other public health and prevention programs however the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program received a boost. For more information about related funding levels, please see the attached chart.

More details about the potential impact of the President’s budget proposal on sexual and reproductive health are still to come.

California Family Health Council will continue to keep you updated and work with members of the California congressional delegation to advocate for fully funding Title X.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Moy, Vice President of Public Affairs, at moya@cfhc.org/415.518.4465

OBAMA "ACCOMMODATION" ON CONTRACEPTION A WIN FOR WOMEN OF ALL FAITHS IN ALL STATES

BERKELEY/LOS ANGELES, CA –Today the White House issued a revised contraceptive coverage policy under the Affordable Care Act to accommodate the concerns of objecting religious groups and protect access to contraception without cost-sharing for women nationwide. The announcement came after a highly publicized debate sparked by the Catholic Bishop lobby reached fever pitch over the past week.

 

Under the new policy, women working for religious employers with objections to providing contraceptive services will be able to obtain coverage from health plans directly and without co-pays.

 

“The President's resolve to break down cost barriers for women to access contraception – regardless of where they work – is a positive step for women and families of all faiths across the country.  Covering contraception saves money for everyone – including insurance companies – by keeping women healthy and reducing the high costs associated with unintended pregnancy,” said Julie Rabinovitz, President and CEO of the California Family Health Council, a group that promotes access to birth control and high quality family planning services statewide.

 

Employers in California are already required to provide contraceptive coverage as part of the Women’s Contraceptive Equity Act passed in 1999 and upheld as constitutional by the California Supreme Court in 2004. The California law, AB 39, included a very narrow religious exemption that served as a model for the administration's original rule.  As a result of California's contraceptive equity law, large religiously affiliated institutions that hire employees outside of their faith and serve the public, like Catholic Charities, have health plans that cover contraceptives for their employees. Dignity Health, formerly Catholic Healthcare West, began voluntarily covering contraceptives for their 60,000 employees in 1997.

 

The final policy is anticipated to be a floor and not a ceiling, which would allow California and other states to keep their narrow exemptions intact.

 

“One in three women voters have struggled to pay for prescription birth control at some point and have used it inconsistently as a result.  With today’s decision President Obama is standing by the millions of women from all faiths who use contraception and deserve affordable, high quality family planning services,” added Rabinovitz.

 

Currently, about half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, costing taxpayers an estimated $11 billion a year.  According to a national poll, 84 percent of Americans approve of family planning and see birth control as an important part of preventive health care.  Among all women who have had sex, 99 percent have used contraceptives, and more than half of all women between the ages of 18-34 struggle to afford it. Catholics are not far off with fully 98 percent of sexually active Catholics having used modern forms of birth control. 

 

California Family Health Council works to create healthy individuals, families and communities.  CFHC accomplishes its mission by improving the accessibility and quality of sexual and reproductive health services in California communities and beyond through its umbrella of services including public policy, research, education, and clinic support initiatives serving over 1.2 million individuals annually. www.cfhc.org

 

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Counter Attacks, Show Support for Contraception Today!

As we shared last month, the Obama administration issued a final decision to not expand the religious exemption in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule for contraceptive coverage.

Since then, religious leaders and GOP candidates have been relentlessly attacking the administration and fighting to overturn the president's new birth control policy. In recent days, Senator Mark Rubio (R-FL) has even introduced a bill to expand the definition of entities that qualify to be exempt from providing contraceptive coverage.

We know you join CFHC in the belief that contraception is a fundamental part of women’s lives and health. As a testament to its significance, 99% of women have used contraception at some point in their lives and that number is nearly identical for women who associate themselves with religion. In fact, a new survey shows a majority of all Catholics agree that employers should be required to cover contraception in health plans offered to employees.  These are private matters that should be left for women to decide, not their employers.  

Take Action!

1.    Contact the President. Thank the Obama administration for remaining firm in its resolve to protect access to contraception for millions of women. Counter the attacks with your support today. Send your message to the President now.

2.    Go Social. Support birth control coverage at no cost for women through your social networks.

Sample Messages:

@WhiteHouse #BirthControl decision will save some #women $600/year! What would you do #with600dollars?

I stand with the @WhiteHouse in its decision to require employers to cover #contraception without co-pays for employee health plans!

Over 50% of women between 18 and 34 say they've struggled to afford #birthcontrol. The #ACA solves that problem! #MyFreeBC

Helpful Links to Share:

Saving Money, Supporting Women’s Health

Catholic Support for Birth Control

Are you in the know?

3. Contact the Media. If you see a related article online, express your support through the comments section. If you see something in your local paper, submit a letter-to-the-editor. For a sample letter, contact Erika Vexler at vexlere@cfhc.org.