As obstetricians and gynecologists practicing in Connecticut and providing full reproductive healthcare, we witness the necessary and irreplaceable care that Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, or PPSNE, health centers provide in our communities. To continue to provide essential healthcare in our state, we ask the state of Connecticut to ensure continued funding of PPSNE in response to the federal budget bill, which makes them ineligible to receive federal Medicaid funding for preventive health services.
PPSNE has served over 52,000 patients in 14 health centers in Connecticut over the last fiscal year. Almost half of these patients were insured by HUSKY Health, Connecticut’s state Medicaid program. Every day, we see patients who need essential services that PPSNE provides, including birth control, cancer screenings, screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and annual exams.
The First District Court of Appeals stay has blocked more than 1.1 million patients from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood health centers and risks the closure of as many as 200 Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide. The impact will be devastating: cancers will go undetected, STIs will go untreated, and pregnancies will be unplanned. The result would be nothing short of a public health crisis impacting patients of color and low-income individuals.
As medical experts, we stand by PPSNE as a key partner in the provision of healthcare to our community. We implore the governor to address this serious health crisis and ask our legislators to guarantee funding for PPSNE in special session this fall and protect patient access to care.
Andrea Contreras MD, Savannah Kaszubinski MD, Neena Qasba MD M.P.H, and Cara Delaney MD M.P.H, OB/GYN Physicians.
