Eliminating Cost Sharing for Abortions, Passing of SB 245
In March, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 245, the Abortion Accessibility Act, into law. This legisation will eliminate cost sharing for abortions in California.
“Eliminating out-of-pocket costs for abortion for people with private insurance is a major step in California’s commitment to being a Reproductive Freedom state — making abortion services more accessible and affordable for all people in California,” said Jodi Hicks, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. “SB 245 becoming law means that more Californians will be able to access the care they want, when they want. When it comes to reproductive health care, California’s leaders are once again showing what is possible when you prioritize accessibility, affordability, and equity.”
California Future of Abortion Council Bills Advance
On May 21, all of the 13 statewide Sponsored bills from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and all Future of Abortion Council bills have passed out of their 1st legislative chamber! Three Senate Bills (AB 1666, AB 2091, and AB 2626) passed the California Senate and now head to the California Assembly. Ten Assembly Bills passed the California Assembly and are headed to the California Senate.
The legislative package includes:
SB 1142 (Skinner & Caballero): Establishes “The Abortion Support Fund,” which would provide grants to California organizations that assist patients in overcoming barriers to abortion through direct practical and logistical support. SB 1142 also creates an “Abortion Information Webpage,” with comprehensive information regarding accessing abortion services in California, to provide patients one point of entry to connect with the nearest and most accessible abortion provider, obtain coverage or financial support for care, and get logistical assistance and resources for travel, lodging, or other needs.
SB 1245 (Kamlager): Establishes a reproductive health pilot project in Los Angeles County to support innovative approaches and patient centered collaborations to safeguard patient access to abortions, regardless of residency.
SB 1375 (Atkins): Allows nurse-practitioners that meet specified criteria and training requirements to provide first trimester abortion independently.
AB 1666 (Bauer-Kahan): Protects patients and providers in California from civil liability judgments for providing reproductive health care to patients when the claims are based on laws in other states that are hostile to abortion rights and are contrary to the public policy of California.
AB 1918 (Petrie-Norris): Creates the California Reproductive Health Scholarship Corps, responsible for recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse workforce of health care professionals who will provide reproductive health services, including abortion, in underserved areas of California.
AB 2091 (Bonta): Enhances privacy protections for medical records related to abortion care under California’s Reproductive Privacy Act against disclosures to law enforcement and out-of-state third parties seeking to enforce hostile abortion bans in other states.
AB 2134 (Weber): Establishes the California Reproductive Health Equity Program which will provide grants to providers who provided uncompensated care to patients with low-incomes and those who face other financial barriers to accessing abortion and contraception.
AB 2205 (Carrillo): Requires the qualified health plans under Covered California to report annually to the Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Health Care the total amounts of funds collected in the segregated accounts (established under the ACA to hold premium payment of $1 per member per month and from which claims for abortions must be paid) to better understand how much money is currently in those accounts and how much is being used each year to pay claims.
AB 2223 (Wicks): Ensures that no one in California will be investigated, prosecuted, or incarcerated for ending a pregnancy or experiencing pregnancy loss.
AB 2320 (Garcia): Establishes and administers a pilot program to direct funds to community health clinics that provide reproductive health care services in five counties and requires a participating health clinic to undertake specified activities to improve health care delivery for marginalized patients.
AB 2529 (Davies & Calderon): Expands the Song-Brown Workforce Training Act to include Certified Nurse-Midwifery and Licensed Midwifery training programs. Adding these training programs as eligible applicants for Song-Brown funding, will increase Californians’ access to high-quality maternity care providers throughout the State.
AB 2586 (Garcia): Establishes a working group with specified membership to examine the root causes of the reproductive health and sexual health inequities in California, and requires the working group to submit a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2024, with recommendations of how to decrease reproductive health and sexual health disparities that cover specified topics, including barriers to abortion access and contraception. AB 2586 also establishes the California Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund to support community-based organizations to provide medically accurate, culturally congruent, comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education, inclusive of abortion, to disproportionately impacted communities.
AB 2626 (Calderon): Protects abortion providers in California by prohibiting the removal or suspension of medical licenses for a licensee providing abortion care in California who is complying with California law.
California leaders are meeting this moment of crisis to ensure that California will continue to lead the way in the fight for Reproductive Freedom.
Rallying for Abortion Rights
On May 3, Planned Parenthood staff members and volunteers joined Bans Off Our Bodies rallies at courthouses throughout the region, protesting the leaked majority decision by the Supreme Court. Click here to watch Vice President of External Affairs, Vernita Gutierrez's speech.
Bans Off Our Bodies Rallies
On May 14, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest and community partners led rallies in San Diego, Riverside and El Centro. Throughout our three-county region, thousands of people took to the streets to stand up for abortion access. Videos from throughout the day can be seen here.
#PoweredByPink Bus Tour
From May 14 through May 25, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC) organized a statewide bus tour to raise awareness in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s expected decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. On May 21, the bus stopped at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's Kearny Mesa Health Center.
Check out these videos from the day featuring President and CEO of PPPSW Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, San Diego organizer Judith Howell, and PPGA SDSU IV President Jazmyn Horton-Alvarado.
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