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California Expands Equitable Access to Over-the-Counter Birth Control for Medi-Cal Enrollees with Governor Newsom’s Signature of AB 50 

On World Contraception Day, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 50 — the Equitable Birth Control Access Act — into law, ensuring Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal have equitable access to over-the-counter (OTC) birth control methods, including the first-ever FDA-approved OTC birth control pill, Opill, without out-of-pocket costs or unnecessary barriers. Read more in our statement >>>

Essential Access Health Condemns Final Passage of Federal Reconciliation Bill

The passage of this sweeping bill marks the most extreme and far-reaching attack on health care access in modern U.S. history. It will decimate the Medicaid program, take away health coverage from an estimated 17 million people, and defund Planned Parenthood and other providers of abortion care. Read more in our statement >>>

HHS Releases Withheld Title X Awards for California and Hawai‘i Amidst Unprecedented Federal Attacks on Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Access

Today, Essential Access Health received notification from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that our withheld Title X federal family planning program awards for California and Hawai‘i have been released. This news comes against the backdrop of the Senate passing a reconciliation package that would decimate sexual and reproductive health care access nationally, and critical state leadership to protect family planning and abortion care in the California and Hawai‘i state budgets. Read more in our statement >>>

More Press Releases

• 6.24.25 – Essential Access Health Announces Final Awards for California’s Uncompensated Care Abortion Access Program
• 6.18.25 – California’s Final State Budget Must Protect Reproductive Equity
• 6.16.25 – LA County Board of Supervisors Must Act Now to Safeguard Decades of Progress in STI and HIV Prevention
• 6.4.25 – California Legislature Must Act Now to Safeguard Reproductive Health Access
• 5.15.25 – May Revise Proposal Disproportionately Cuts Reproductive Health Access + Fails to Live Up to California’s Promise

Read more Press Releases >>>

More Essential Access In the News

• 4.17.25 – Hawaiʻi Public Radio: Loss of $2.1M in federal funds for reproductive care impacts young people, isolated communities
• 4.8.25 – Hawaiʻi Public Radio: The Conversation: U.S. Dept. of Education cuts; Whales in Lahaina
• 4.3.25 – Time: Exclusive: More than 150 House Democrats Urge HHS to Restore Title X Funds
• 4.2.25 – Time: Trump Administration Freezes Title X Funding to 16 Groups
• 4.1.25 – Ms. Magazine: Trump Administration Slashes Reproductive Healthcare Funding for Millions

Read more "Essential Access in the News" items >>>