Section 3- PPNHAF PAC Candidate Questionnaire

Affordable, Accessible Reproductive Health Care Services

Access to affordable health care — including sexual and reproductive health care such as birth control and abortion is under serious threat in New Hampshire. —Planned Parenthood health centers are an integral part of the New Hampshire health care system and continue to play a vital role in serving the thousands of Granite Staters, regardless of insurance status or zip code. Through health centers, patients have access to the essential primary and preventive health care services that promote and protect their health. Many Planned Parenthood patients rely on Planned Parenthood health centers as their main source of health care.

Two programs that are critical to Planned Parenthood’s ability to serve in this role are the Medicaid program and the Title X family planning program. The Medicaid program is a cornerstone of health care for people struggling to make ends meet and includes several critical policy protections to maximize access to family planning services Title X is the nation’s only federal program that is focused on providing a broad range of family planning services and information to people with low incomes, and it serves millions annually. Together, these two programs serve as the foundation of access to basic family planning care in the United States. Additionally, the passage of the ACA and NH Medicaid Expansion has led to the historic expansion of access to essential reproductive health care services.

Unfortunately, as the cost to provide care and the demand for services has increased, funding for family planning has not. Additionally, family planning programs have also been subject to political attacks designed to undermine access to these important services. This includes the Trump administration’s 2019 gag rule that forced Planned Parenthood health centers and a number of other providers out of the Title X program, because it prohibited providers from giving patients full and accurate health information — including giving a patient an abortion referral upon request. The Title X program is continuing to rebuild following the Biden administration’s rescission of the rule. Abortion providers are currently out of the New Hampshire Family Planning Program (state Title X funding).