For Immediate Release: July 10, 2007

Media Contact: Andrea Gage
414-213-3717 (cell)

Assembly Republicans Put Families Last
GOP adds to health care crisis by eliminating family planning and affordable care,
costing the state millions of dollars and federal monies

Madison, WI- In a stunning move, the Assembly Republicans passed a budget tonight which eliminates funding for safety net health care providers responsible for delivering critical and cost-effective health care from birth control to breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment that tens of thousands of women and their families rely on to ensure their health and well-being. The proposed cuts would impair community health and cost taxpayers millions in costs associated with services resulting from unintended pregnancy and poor health outcomes. Specifically, the Assembly budget:

• Eliminates funding for at least 50 private family planning health centers, by making all private family planning providers categorically ineligible for ANY state family planning funds and potentially Medicaid funding;
• Significantly limits access to the successful Medicaid Family Planning Waiver program, which has served over 60,000 women and saved the state almost $90 million dollars since 2004;
• Significantly reduces monies allocated for cervical cancer testing in rural communities;
• Deletes monies allocated for breast and cervical cancer screening through the Wisconsin Well Woman Program;
• Requires the state to apply for abstinence-only monies from the federal government. For each $1 in federal money the state receives, the state must spend $3 on ineffective abstinence-only programs under this program.

"The Assembly budget puts families last," said Chris Taylor, public policy director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI). "It completely destroys the state's family planning system, leaving women and families without needed preventive health services. The people of Wisconsin should be outraged."

This budget isn't about saving money. It dismantles family planning such as the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program, which has saved the state almost $90 million dollars since 2004. It's estimated that Family Planning Waiver Program alone would attract over $23.7 million dollars in federal funds to Wisconsin in 2008 and 2009.

"This budget is an attack on women, birth control, and preventive care such as cervical cancer screening, breast exams and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment," said Taylor. "It's clear that the Republican leadership doesn't care about women, men or the families who depend on them."

The Assembly leadership is adding to the health care crisis, abandoning Wisconsin women who desperately need family planning services. Out of the 300,000 Wisconsin women in need of publicly subsidized family planning services, only 93,000, or one-third of this population, are receiving these services because of funding limitations. This results in Wisconsin ranking 36th out of 50 states in the availability of birth control services and supplies (The Guttmacher Institute, 2006). Meanwhile, in a recent Mellman Group poll, 86% of Wisconsin voters support improving access to birth control.

"The Republicans have no vision about how to address the real issues facing Wisconsin families, such as access to affordable health care," said Taylor. "We encourage citizens to contact their elected officials and let them know that gutting much-needed health care programs is not the answer."

###

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI). The mission of PPWI is to empower all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health through direct services, education, and advocacy.  www.ppawi.org