Harris County is considering spending $6 million to expand reproductive health services.

The Harris County Court of Commissioners is expected to approve $6 million in federal funding for the county’s Reproductive Health Access Fund on Tuesday. The money will go toward expanding access to contraceptives and screenings at clinics operated by the Harris County Public Health Authority.

“For me, this is voting for reproductive freedom and life-saving health services that can save lives and empower,” said Harris County District 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis.

Ellis cited Texas’ near-total abortion ban following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer as a threat to pregnant women in the state, as Texas currently has the eighth-highest maternal death rate in the nation.

“Being pregnant is more dangerous than ever, and it’s harder to access reproductive health services in our society,” he said.

The funds will be allocated to Harris County public health clinics, as well as health care providers in areas with high numbers of uninsured residents who may not otherwise have access to reproductive health services.

“The Fund will invest in resource-limited medical clinics to build capacity to provide reproductive health services, including contraception,” Ellis said. “It will also provide funding to grassroots organizations to train and promote reproductive health services.”

According to the United Health Foundation, Texas has had the highest percentage of uninsured residents of any state in the nation every year for the past decade. About 18% of Texans have no health insurance, twice the national average. In Harris County, the percentage is even higher. More than 22% of Harris County residents are uninsured.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said these funds from the federal American Plans of Rescue Act can help healthcare providers meet the growing needs of their communities.

“Sometimes these organizations – those that are deep in the community, those that are in areas where there are a lot of people who really need these services because they can’t afford them – these organizations are very small and don’t have funding. to meet the needs that exist,” she said.

Free and low-cost reproductive health resources could become even more important in the coming months as thousands of people could potentially lose their Medicaid coverage.

Nearly 50% of patients are covered by Medicaid, according to Planned Parenthood. In fact, Medicaid is the largest reproductive health insurance payer in the country and covers things like cancer screening and birth control. Texas is currently one of 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, although it is eligible for 90% federal funding for Medicaid expansion. Expanding Medicaid could expand coverage to the state’s roughly 1.5 million uninsured residents, according to the nonpartisan nonprofit Every Texan.

For the past three years, the federal declaration of a public health emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed Americans to maintain Medicaid coverage even if they no longer qualify for their state’s requirements. This increased the number of Texans currently covered by Medicaid to 5.5 million as of August 2022, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

However, the emergency public health measure expires on April 1, after which Texas can clear its Medicaid lists of anyone no longer eligible for coverage. Residents who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but are still below the federal poverty line and therefore not eligible for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act may be left uninsured.

If funding is approved, the Harris County Public Health Authority can begin planning to expand its reproductive health services immediately. Other community organizations will begin receiving funds this summer.