Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Sets Timetable For New Rules On Reproductive Health Care Funding
The Associated Press: Trump Administration Moves To Enforce Abortion Restriction
Moving ahead despite objections, the Trump administration on Friday set a timetable for federally funded family clinics to comply with a new rule that bars them from referring women for abortions. The action is part of a series of efforts to remake government policy on reproductive health to please conservatives who are a key part of President Donald Trump’s political base. Religious conservatives see the family planning program as providing an indirect subsidy to Planned Parenthood, which runs family planning clinics and is also a major abortion provider. ... The Department of Health and Human Services sent notices to program participants saying they must certify by Sep. 18 that they’re complying with most major provisions of the rule. Plans on how the clinics intend to comply are due earlier, by Aug. 19. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/9)
Modern Healthcare: HHS Sets Its New Title X Family Planning Guidelines
The major change at the heart of the new regulation is the physical separation requirement that would bar abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood from receiving program funds. That won't take effect until March 2020. Litigation challenging the rule is still pending in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with oral arguments slated for Sept. 23. With the legal battles still ongoing, the Title X networks haven't seen a shake-up yet, as they could if the courts do finally decide that abortion can't be offered on the premises of any Title X funded clinic. (Luthi, 8/9)
The Wall Street Journal: What The AMA Stands For Now
Under a new president, Patrice Harris, the American Medical Association made a splash in the reproductive-rights debate in June by suing North Dakota to block two abortion-related laws. One of those laws requires physicians to tell patients that medication-induced abortions can be reversed in some instances, which the suit says is false; the other requires doctors to tell patients that an abortion terminates “the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being.” The AMA also has recently taken positions on some topics, such as climate change and body-worn cameras in law enforcement, that aren’t traditionally associated with medicine. Dr. Harris, who will serve a one-year term as president, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the AMA’s advocacy efforts, health-care reform and diversity in the profession. (Abbott, 8/11)
Columbus Dispatch: With Planned Parenthood Defunded, Who's Taking Care Of Ohio Women's Health?
When Ohio lawmakers moved to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood a few years ago, supporters of the legislation said community clinics and other state-funded providers would pick up the slack on women’s health services. So far, though, little slack has appeared. Planned Parenthood in Ohio, for the most part, has used private funds to maintain the services that public money had paid for, and the state is still working through how it will distribute grants and reimbursements that had previously gone to Planned Parenthood. (Deeter and Rouan, 8/11)
The New York Times: Climate Of Fear: When Part Of A Country Bans Abortion
While Ireland voted to legalize abortion last year, Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom — has shown no signs of liberalizing its draconian laws, allowing the procedure only when the mother’s life is in danger. That has led many women, like Ciara, to travel for abortions, something that can be difficult for those who lack the resources to finance the trip. With some states in the United States — most recently Alabama — passing legislation that mirrors the laws in Northern Ireland, many American women could be just a Supreme Court decision away from finding themselves in a similar position. (Yeginsu, 8/10)
