What the Changes in Planned Parenthood Funding Means for Patients
The Trump administration recently changed the rules for Title X funds, and this week Planned Parenthood decided to stop accepting money. As a result, it can become more difficult to access free and rolling birth control scales, STD testing and other services. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Title X?
The “tenth title” is pronounced – this is the federal family planning program . Organizations (including but not limited to Planned Parenthood) may receive grants that enable them to provide services for free or on a sliding scale.
Title X services do not include abortion, but may include various forms of birth control, cancer screening, STD testing, and pregnancy tests. They may also include education, counseling, and referrals on sexual health issues.
The program exists to ensure that people can access these services even if they have a low income, and it is especially aimed at people in rural areas and communities of color.
How do I know if I have used Title X services?
You don’t necessarily know. Title X is not intended for individuals, but if you have ever received free or rolling services from Planned Parenthood or a similar organization, you may have received Title X-covered health care.
What changes immediately?
The new rule requires organizations that receive Title X funding not to refer patients to terminate pregnancies, or even tell them who else is providing termination services. (The new policy has been dubbed the “gag rule.”) Planned Parenthood sued to block the rule, but the courts sided with the government and gave Planned Parenthood until August 19 to comply . Instead, they decided to stop accepting money.
“Planned paternity is still open. Our doors are open today and our doors will be open tomorrow, ”the organization’s acting president said in a press release . For details on the website, it is recommended that you contact your local parenting planning office to find out what services you can get and how much they will cost.
A family planning representative told us by phone that they are trying to use other means to continue providing the same services they provided under Section X. Depending on where you are, you may not notice any changes, but you also you may find that your local clinic cannot offer what it used to be.
What does this mean for the future?
Planned paternity is still struggling with the rule in court, but if it remains in effect, they will have to do without that federal money. This means there will be more fundraising letters, but more importantly, it will be more difficult to access affordable sexual health services. So far, Planned Parenthood has provided about 40% of Title X-funded services.
The government said other organizations could fill the gap, but their plans appear to be diverting these funds to crisis pregnancy centers , which often do not provide contraception and do not provide the wide range of services that family planning is famous for. A family planning spokesperson predicts long queues and long journeys for low-income and rural patients.