The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
To access the OAFP Bill Tracker, visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the Bill Tracker icon.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Advocacy Coordinator Kaela Springhetti with questions or for ways to get involved.
U.S. Representative Shontel Brown Proposes More Research Funding for Uterine Fibroids
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer
U.S. Representative Shontel Brown (D-OH) has reintroduced legislation that would create a new federal grant program for the detection and treatment of uterine fibroids, which are common benign pelvic tumors that often cause heavy periods, reproductive issues, and anemia disproportionately in Black women.
The Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health and Treatment Act (U-FIGHT Act) was also introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), according to a recent release from Sen. Brown’s office.
Rep. Brown and Sen.Alsobrooks recently held a roundtable in Washington, D.C., with actress Lupita Nyong’o (“Black Panther, “A Quiet Place: Day One”) to highlight the prevalence of fibroids, especially among women of color.
The U-FIGHT Act was announced as part of a Uterine Health Legislative Initiative featuring multiple bills introduced by U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY), U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NY) and U.S. Representative David Scott (D-GA), in addition to Rep. Brown and Sen. Alsobrooks.
Rep. Brown first introduced the U-FIGHT Act in 2024.
The U-FIGHT Act supports early detection, education and awareness, and improved treatments for fibroids, Rep. Brown said.
The act, if passed, would authorize the secretary of the Health and Human Services Department to award grants to increase early detection of uterine fibroids, education and awareness programs, and research.
Black women often experience fibroids at an earlier age and have more severe symptoms, health experts say.
Read the full article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Ohio Bill Mirrors Federal Push to Ax Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid Dollars
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
After President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress blocked money for Planned Parenthood, Ohio lawmakers are following suit.
House Bill (HB) 410, introduced by two Southwest Ohio Republicans, would mirror the one-year federal ban on Medicaid paying for healthcare offered by abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood. Federal and state law already prohibit Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance for low-income Ohioans, from paying for nearly all abortions.
The federal cut, included in Trump’s signature “Big, Beautiful Bill,” would prevent Planned Parenthood from billing Medicaid for contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing, gender-affirming care, and preventive care visits. A federal judge has temporarily blocked that funding cut and ruled it is likely unconstitutional. But that’s not the end of the legal battle.
Meanwhile, Ohio’s Planned Parenthood locations are already feeling the impact. Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio closed health centers in Springfield and Hamilton. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio shuttered its Midtown Cleveland location and now faces layoffs.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH) stands to lose about $10 million if the federal Medicaid cuts take effect, said Lauren Blauvelt, PPGOH’s chief external affairs officer.
About 43% of the 50,550 patients that PPGOH served in 2024 were on Medicaid. For Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, 41% of patients used Medicaid, communications manager Maya McKenzie said.
“This is a very serious attack that is already bad enough from the federal level, and does not need to be continued at the state level,” Lauren Blauvelt said. “Ultimately, the attack and the impact are felt by our patients who cannot use their insurance to go to their provider of choice.”
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.
Federal Research on Health Disparities Comes to a Halt
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Following a series of executive orders prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at every level of the federal government, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) this year began terminating initiatives aimed at narrowing the health gaps between racial and socioeconomic groups.
The federal government has for decades invested vigorously in research aimed at narrowing the health gaps between racial and socioeconomic groups, pouring billions of dollars into understanding why minority and low-income Americans have shorter lives and suffer higher rates of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
Spending on health disparities research rose even during the Trump Administration’s first term. But in its second, much of the funding has come to a sudden halt.
“Spending billions on divisive, politically driven DEI initiatives that don’t deliver results is not just bad health policy — it’s bad government,” said a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services who declined to be identified.
The NIH will invest in projects that support “all vulnerable populations,” and expand participation “based on clinical need — not identity,” the spokeswoman said.