An Iowa Senate subcommittee advanced an omnibus bill Tuesday that includes portions of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ sweeping health care bill — but not her proposal to allow access to over-the-counter birth control.
The bill, Senate Study Bill 1139, provides:
Angela Caulk with the Family Planning Council of Iowa shared studies from Washington University Medical School and American Journal of Public Health showing providing additional access to contraception reduces unplanned pregnancies and abortions
Amy Campbell, a lobbyist representing the Iowa Nurses Association, told lawmakers the association is concerned contraceptive coverage is not included in the Senate bill.
“We think that as the governor said the best way to reduce abortions is to reduce the numbers of unintended pregnancies,” Campbell said. “So we feel that additional access to contraceptives would be a positive with our state.”
Campbell, too, said the group is disappointed the bill does not include extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months. The Medicaid program finances about four in 10 births in the United States. Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days postpartum. After that period, individuals may lose coverage in states without Medicaid expansion.
Subcommittee chair Sen. Jeff Edler, R-State Center, said lawmakers continue to look at state Medicaid data “to ensure that we are spending taxpayer dollars correctly, because that is a very large price tag.”
Abortion rights advocates continued to oppose funding to pregnancy resource centers, saying the centers mislead women about their options and misrepresent themselves as legitimate medical providers. They also note centers are not fully license medical facilities and thus are not bound by federal privacy laws under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and are not required to maintain client confidentiality.
The crisis pregnancy centers are usually religiously affiliated organizations that encourage childbirth or adoption and discourage abortion. They typically offer free ultrasounds, counseling, diapers and other baby items, without cost.
Reynolds and bill supporters, including lobbyists for the Christian conservative advocacy organization The Family Leader, say the statewide program provides personalized support to pregnant women and aims to reduce abortions and improve maternal health outcomes and family economic self-sufficiency.
nonpareilonline.com
The bill, Senate Study Bill 1139, provides:
- $2 million to pregnancy resource centers that counsel against abortion, and adds programming for fathers
- Additional funding for Regional Centers of Excellence to improve access to medical specialties in rural and underserved communities. The bill invests $575,000 to fund two additional regional centers, increasing the total number to four.
- Four weeks’ paid maternity leave for mothers and one week paid paternity leave for fathers following the birth or adoption of a child.
- $560,000 for a state-funded family medicine obstetric fellowship program
- Expanded eligibility requirements under a state-funded scholarship program for students who age out of Iowa’s foster care system or are adopted after age 16
- Increased reimbursement for allowable expenses related to adopting a child.
Angela Caulk with the Family Planning Council of Iowa shared studies from Washington University Medical School and American Journal of Public Health showing providing additional access to contraception reduces unplanned pregnancies and abortions
Amy Campbell, a lobbyist representing the Iowa Nurses Association, told lawmakers the association is concerned contraceptive coverage is not included in the Senate bill.
“We think that as the governor said the best way to reduce abortions is to reduce the numbers of unintended pregnancies,” Campbell said. “So we feel that additional access to contraceptives would be a positive with our state.”
Campbell, too, said the group is disappointed the bill does not include extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months. The Medicaid program finances about four in 10 births in the United States. Federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage through 60 days postpartum. After that period, individuals may lose coverage in states without Medicaid expansion.
Subcommittee chair Sen. Jeff Edler, R-State Center, said lawmakers continue to look at state Medicaid data “to ensure that we are spending taxpayer dollars correctly, because that is a very large price tag.”
Abortion rights advocates continued to oppose funding to pregnancy resource centers, saying the centers mislead women about their options and misrepresent themselves as legitimate medical providers. They also note centers are not fully license medical facilities and thus are not bound by federal privacy laws under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and are not required to maintain client confidentiality.
The crisis pregnancy centers are usually religiously affiliated organizations that encourage childbirth or adoption and discourage abortion. They typically offer free ultrasounds, counseling, diapers and other baby items, without cost.
Reynolds and bill supporters, including lobbyists for the Christian conservative advocacy organization The Family Leader, say the statewide program provides personalized support to pregnant women and aims to reduce abortions and improve maternal health outcomes and family economic self-sufficiency.
Senate GOP lawmakers balk at over-the-counter birth control
An Iowa Senate subcommittee advanced an omnibus bill Tuesday that includes portions of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ sweeping health care bill — but not her proposal to allow access to over-the-counter
