Clergy Supports WHP

A diverse group of 58 religious leaders today delivered an open letter to Gov. Rick Perry, expressing their disappointment in him for letting the Medicaid-waiver Women's Health Program come to an end. "We are unanimous in our belief that the conscience of the woman has a higher moral standing than ideological agendas," the leaders wrote.

The religious leaders write that they understand Perry has said the state would continue to fund the program on its own – without the 90-10 federal match in funding – to a tune of some $67 million through the biennium, but they argue that decision is a poor financial move for the state – and the women in need of care. "[Y]our plan unnecessarily burdens our state while not serving the needs of the women served by the WHP," they wrote.

The demise of the WHP, which provided access to basic healthcare to women who would not otherwise be eligible for Medicaid unless pregnant, is strictly about the participation of Planned Parenthood as a care provider. The state wants to be able to exclude Planned Parenthood, arguing that because some clinics provide abortion care, all clinics are affiliated with abortion providers – regardless of the fact that none of the clinics who participate in the WHP provide abortions, and that none of the Planned Parenthood clinics that provide abortion care actually participate in the WHP.

Among the clergy signing on to the letter is Rabbi Alan Freedman, who sits on the board of Austin-based Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region, and the collective leaders acknowledge that without the participation of Planned Parenthood in the WHP it is unclear there will be enough providers to pick up the clients in need. In 2010, according to Texas' Health and Human Services Commission, Planned Parenthood served 46% of all WHP clients; that same year, more than 183,000 women were enrolled in the program and more than 106,000 of them accessed health services. "Planned Parenthood now serves over 40% of the Texas women in the WHP and there are no other agencies able to fulfill this need, regardless of the source of funding," reads the letter. "Our state, as you are surely aware," the letter continues, "faces a major crisis in the decline of providers willing to serve Medicaid families. By excluding the main provider of the [WHP], your policy has exacerbated the problem by putting an end to the program for all other willing providers."

Perry's decision-making is "particularly distressing" given that 25% of women in Texas are uninsured in a state with the third-highest rate of cervical cancer in the country. In closing, the clergy urges Perry to sit back down with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ensure the continuation of the WHP. "As we stated in the opening of this letter, this is not an abstract discussion about faceless numbers – these are real women, many of whom we counsel, many of whom have children already, that struggle with limited means to provide for themselves and their families," reads the letter. "They face difficult choices daily; they do not need more."