In this special edition, Dr. David Stevens interviews Diane Foley, MD, FAAP, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs and the Director of the Office of Population Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), regarding Title X Funding. Dr. Foley explains that non-profit entities, such as community health centers, pregnancy resource centers and others, could serve either as primary grantees serving a state or a particular patient population, or as sub-grantees specializing in certain services. For example, Dr. Foley noted, a pregnancy resource center could become expert providers of Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FABM) and provide this for a grantee that covers the entire state.

This new proposed Title X rule further strengthens conscience protections and includes provisions that prevent the abortion industry from abusing the program. Read CMDA’s official public comment on the proposed rule at https://tinyurl.com/CMDAcomment.

More Information
If you are interested in applying, stay tuned to the HHS Title X Family Planning website for notice about a webinar to know what to expect. You can also learn more about this funding opportunity here.

HHA has also released items of interest to organizations and individuals working on life, family, and religious liberty issues.

1. Final Rules on Conscience Mandate – Last year, HHS published interim final rules to provide conscience protections for Americans who have a religious or moral objection to health insurance that covers contraception methods.  Today the final rules were published: (1) one that outlines an exemption for religious convictions, and (2) a second rule that creates an exemption for moral objections.
   News Release
   Fact Sheet

2. A Proposed Rule Requiring Separate Billing & Payment for Abortion Coverage in Obamacare Exchange Plans – As part of an overall “Program Integrity Proposed Rule” released by CMS today, CMS would require that issuers with plans on the Obamacare exchanges: (1) send an entirely separate monthly bill to the consumer for only the portion of premium attributable to abortion coverage, and (2) instruct the enrollee to pay the portion of their premium attributable to abortion coverage in a separate transaction from any payment the consumer makes for the portion of their premium not attributable to abortion coverage.  Since this is a proposed rule, you can make comments, we encourage you to provide them through the formal comment process.
   Proposed Rule
   Fact Sheet