Senate Level Funds Title X for 2018

Today the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (Labor-HHS) spending package for fiscal year (FY) 2018 that maintains Title X federal family planning funding at current levels of $287 million and if enacted, will protect access to essential health services for the millions of low-income individuals that rely on Title X for care across the country. Over 1,000,000 women, men and teens are served by Title X in California each year. The appropriation bill also maintains current funding levels for the teen pregnancy prevention program and includes significant investments for the National Institutes of Health  and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including their STD prevention programs. (Learn more.)

Essential Access Health commends the bi-partisan Senate Appropriations Committee for recognizing the importance of Title X and other public programs that help ensure the health and wellness of individuals and communities nationwide. The measure is in stark contrast to the funding package passed by the House of Representatives in July. The House version proposed to eliminate the Title X program and make other drastic and draconian cuts that would devastate the public health system and unconscionably strip access to health care from millions of Americans nationwide.

Although it appears that Congress will pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded at FY 2017 levels through mid-December, we must remain committed to protecting Title X and preserving access to birth control, STD and pregnancy testing, and cancer screenings for all in FY 2018 and beyond.