WASHINGTON and NEW YORK – As a federal appeals court considers the legality of Texas’ family planning “affiliation regulation,” a new report provides a preliminary assessment of the impact of the Texas rule on preventive care access by low-income women.
“An Early Assessment of the Potential Impact of Texas’ “Affiliation” Regulation on Access to Care for Low-income Women,” released by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative, reports on the impact of Texas’ “affiliation rule” on access to cancer screening, preventive health care, and family planning services by low-income women. Specifically, the report finds that the affiliation rule – which would bar Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) clinics from participating in the state’s Medicaid expansion family planning program because of their affiliation with an entity that performs and advocates for legal abortions – jeopardizes access to care for nearly 52,000 low- income women.
