Low-Income Women's Access to Family Planning

California provides increased access to reproductive health care services through a Section 1115 family planning waiver.  The waiver covers family planning services for men and women of childbearing age with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, who are not otherwise eligible for state and federal health care programs.

The waiver allows the state to test outreach strategies to reach underserved populations, including increasing the number of providers in certain geographic areas, and creating gender-specific training programs for at-risk men.    

Beneficiaries of family planning coverage available through the waiver are not required to pay premiums or co-payments for covered services.  Covered services include: all FDA-approved birth control methods, devices and supplies; a comprehensive reproductive health history, physical examination and pap smear; emergency services directly related to the contraceptive method and follow-up; pregnancy testing and counseling; prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; HIV testing and counseling; limited diagnostic services for fertility management; male and female sterilization; reproductive health education and counseling.  

The waiver is currently running under monthly extensions.    

Cal. Family Planning Demonstration Fact Sheet, Ctrs. for Medicare and Medicaid Servs., Mar. 24, 2003 at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidStWaivProgDemoPGI/MWDL/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=-99&sortByDID=2&sortOrder=ascending&itemID=CMS028184&intNumPerPage=2000 (last visited Dec. 5, 2008);  NARAL Pro-Choice America Survey of State Medicaid Offices