About Title X
More than four million people rely on federal Title X funding to access contraception and other essential health care. Established in 1970, Title X provides affordable birth control and reproductive health care to people with low incomes, who couldn’t otherwise afford health care services on their own. Federal Title X funding helps ensure that every person — regardless of where they live, how much money they make, their background, or whether or not they have health insurance — has access to basic, preventive reproductive health care.
The basic primary and preventive health care services provided by Title X include:
- Wellness exams
- Lifesaving cervical and breast cancer screenings
- Birth control
- Contraception education
- Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV testing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule dramatically revising the Title X family planning program regulations.
Outlining many key changes to the Title X family planning program regulations, the Rule:
Prohibits Title X projects from referring for abortion as a method of family planning;
Requires clear financial and physical separation between Title X projects and programs or facilities where abortion is a method of family planning;
Eliminates the requirement to provide options counseling to pregnant women, but permits non-directive counseling; and
Requires that Title X grantees include, as part of their applications, a list of subrecipients and agencies or individuals providing referral by name, location, expertise and services provided or to be provided.
The final rule becomes effective May 3, 2019; however, certain elements (e.g., financial separation requirements) will not be enforced immediately, giving programs more time to comply.
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