Tester calls for more investment in women’s health care
Senator fights to strengthen family planning services
(U.S. SENATE) - With recent budget cuts forcing many health centers nationwide to close their doors, Senator Jon Tester is pushing the Senate to provide stronger support for Title X family planning services for low-income women and families.
Tester and 38 other Senators recently wrote to the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees health services, urging its members to invest in Title X as it drafts the 2015 Appropriations bill. Title X provides family planning and preventative health services to millions of women and families nationwide, including more than 25,000 Montanans in 2012.
Tester reminded the committee that Title X services are often the only source of health care for patients. He noted that every dollar invested in Title X saves six dollars in Medicaid-related costs.
"It is fiscally responsible to support and strengthen this preventive health program because investing in Title X reduces health care costs in the long term," said Tester, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "This will allow Title X health centers to continue their important role in our health care safety net - providing family planning and preventive health services to millions of low-income American women and families."
Tester also recently called on leaders of the full Appropriations Committee to provide strong funding to support the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA).
Tester's letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services is also signed by fellow Montana Senator John Walsh.
Tester's letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services by les_braswell5524
