FACT SHEET
Women's Health
Supported in the State Budget Compromise
BACKGROUND
The final compromise budget does support family planning
services for low-income women, including cervical and breast cancer
screens. Anti-women's health provisions
inserted by the Assembly majority including dismantling the state's family
planning health centers in 32 counties, gutting the successful Medicaid Family
Planning Waiver program, and mandating ineffective abstinence only sex
education programs have all been removed in the budget compromise.
The Budget Compromise
Does All of the Following:
Fully supports cervical
and breast cancer testing and treatment for low-income women
Funding for a rural colposcopy (cervical diagnostic test)
clinic at $175,000 GPR and breast and cervical cancer tests for low-income and
uninsured women through the Wisconsin Well Women's Program at $125,000 GPR are
restored to levels set forth in the Senate versions of the budget, making sure
low-income women have access to these critical services.
Continues to provide
state funding for private family planning health centers & Medicaid
providers
Family Planning health centers that currently exist in 32
Wisconsin Counties and provide critical health services to low-income women
such as breast and cervical cancer screenings, access to birth control and
testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections are maintained. Family planning Medicaid providers will also
receive a 1% Medicaid increase.
Preserves and
expands the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver program
Though expanding this program to men is not included in
the compromise, the proposed budget does increase a low-income woman's income
eligibility for this program from 185% of the federal poverty level to 200% of
the federal poverty level.
Deletes an abstinence
only sex education mandate
The budget compromise does not
require the state to apply for federal funds that must be state matched for
ineffective abstinence only sex education programs. Earlier this year, Governor Doyle rejected
federal abstinence only dollars because of the ineffectiveness of these
programs was wasting state monies. Studies consistently show that abstinence-only
education is ineffective in delaying teen sex and preventing teen pregnancies,
STIs and abortions.
Deletes the Gag Rule
The budget does not include an illegal, unethical
provision that gags health care providers from informing women about all of
their pregnancy options. Currently,
Restores the right
of County Health Departments to contract with private entities
Currently, six county health departments (Dane, Eau
Claire, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Outagamie and Sheboygan counties) contract with
Planned Parenthood to provide family planning services because they can not
meet the family planning needs of their communities as cost-effectively. The budget compromise deletes an Assembly
provision forbidding counties from contracting with private entities.
This information
was compiled by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. For more
information about legislation related to reproductive health, or to join our
action alert network, log onto http://www.ppawi.org