The Quickie: Planned Parenthood Commends Biden Harris Administration Recission Of Trump Administration Refusal Of Care Rule
For Immediate Release: Jan. 9, 2024
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Planned Parenthood commends the recission of the “refusal of care rule”, abortion health centers are on the decline, and a new Maryland law makes gender-affirming care more accessible.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD COMMENDS BIDEN HARRIS ADMINISTRATION RECISSION OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REFUSAL OF CARE RULE: This morning, the Biden-Harris administration finalized their rule rescinding most parts of the Trump administration’s “refusal of care rule,” which would have endangered patients by allowing health care workers — including physicians, nurses, receptionists, EMTs, and call center staff — to deny information and care to those who needed it without even a referral.
“It’s critical that everyone has all the relevant information they need to make informed decisions about their health and families and access to the health care services they need,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Today’s action from the Biden-Harris administration is an important step in that direction. The most harmful aspects of the now-rescinded rule would have dramatically limited people's access to health care and information. It’s simple: No one should be denied health care.”
The “refusal of care rule” was set to take effect in November 2019. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on behalf of its member-affiliates, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, sued the Trump administration to block the rule, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down the rule. The Eastern District of Washington and the Northern District of California also ruled to vacate the rule in separate cases.
Read PPFA’s statement here.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE CLINICS GONE?: In a new episode from their series, The Class Room, More Perfect Union highlights how the number of abortion health centers has been on the decline since long before Dobbs through restrictions, bans, and medically unnecessary laws. They spoke with providers at a health center on the border between Virginia and Tennessee, the latter of which has a near-total ban. Health centers across the country have also faced increasing violence. Tennessee Advocates of Planned Parenthood, whose Knoxville health center was intentionally set on fire in late 2021, is now providing reproductive health care through a mobile clinic.
“If a health center closes, in a lot of ways, we are really, for some folks, the only care they will get throughout the year”, shared one of the providers. Given Tennessee’s abortion ban, they are not able to provide abortion care, but they continue to provide other crucial care, such as birth control, STI testing, and gender-affirming care.
Watch the full episode here.
MARYLAND’S TRANS HEALTH EQUITY ACT GOES INTO EFFECT: People seeking gender-affirming care in Maryland got great news last week, with the state’s Trans Health Equity Act taking effect on January 1. The new law expands the range of services available for low-income Marylanders under the state Medicaid program. Newly-covered services include facial surgery, top surgery, fertility preservation, and voice therapy.
These affirming services are often life-saving, but can be prohibitively expensive without insurance coverage. Now, more Marylanders will have access. One woman, Renee Lau, told CBS Baltimore, “I would not believe the relief it is for me, because I never could have paid for [these services] out of pocket.” Lau, who started her transition five years ago, plans on pursuing some of the newly-covered surgeries in the next few months.
Before the Trans Health Equity Act went into effect, Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care was limited to resources like mental health services, continuous hormone replacement therapy, and gender reassignment surgery. According to CBS Baltimore, rising numbers of individuals covered by Medicaid are seeking these services.
Read more at CBS Baltimore.