Governor Andrew Cuomo today issued a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II condemning the proposed rule changes to the Title X program and threatening legal action to protect New Yorkers if the rules are adopted. The proposed rules will block federal funding for family planning providers like Planned Parenthood and limit the information and reproductive health services available to Title X clients.
In the letter, the Governor enclosed comments from the New York State Department of Health outlining the harm and legal affront that the proposed rules would inflict upon the state's Family Planning Program, the health of New Yorkers, and the landscape of health services. A copy of the comments is available here. The public comment period closes July 31.
In New York, Governor Cuomo has taken aggressive action to protect reproductive rights from the federal assault. Earlier this month, in the face of the nomination an extreme conservative Supreme Court Justice who could roll back advancements in reproductive health care, the Governor directed the Department of Financial Services to require health insurers to cover emergency contraception, over the counter and 12 months of contraception without cost-sharing. The Governor also previously directed DFS to ensure all medically necessary abortion services are covered by commercial health insurance policies without co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.
Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
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