Testimony
of New Jersey & Family Planning Association of New Jersey
Good afternoon. I am Michele Jaker, Executive Director of both the Family Planning Association of New Jersey and the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey. These two organizations represent New Jersey’s Planned Parenthood affiliates as well as hospital-based centers, county health and freestanding family planning centers. Collectively, family planning providers operate 59 health centers throughout New Jersey, and provide reproductive and other health care services to over 136,000 women and men.
The Governor’s proposed budget calls for the complete elimination of state funds for family planning services in New Jersey. The total elimination of this $7.5 million budget line is devastating to critical women’s health care services. If this funding is not restored, we have estimated that 40,000 current patients will not receive services next year. We will close health centers, eliminate programs and over 100 staff members (mostly nurses and medical staff) will lose their jobs. Respectfully, we here today to urge you to fully restore funding.
Women’s health care is an essential service
In his budget address, Governor Christie stated that he reviewed all line items and eliminated those that were not essential. So, this budget declares that women’s reproductive health care is not essential. Let me tell you about the services that this line item supported.
Family planning centers offer a wide range of preventive health services that include routine gynecological exams; breast and cervical cancer screening, basic birth control, screening for high blood pressure, anemia, and diabetes; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs); HIV testing and counseling; pre-pregnancy counseling and education; pregnancy testing; and prenatal care and/or referral. State family planning dollars do not support abortion services.
Our clients are primarily young women of child-bearing age who have nowhere else to turn for basic reproductive health care. And recently, many of our agencies have reported seeing more older women who have just lost their jobs or their health insurance. These women are coming to our providers for their annual gyn visits, their pap tests and breast exams.
Last year New Jersey’s family planning agencies provided quality, affordable reproductive health care services to over 136,000 women and men. They provided breast examinations to over 70,000 women with over 4000 referrals for further evaluation. Family planning providers also provided pap tests to over 65,000 women last year. I’m sure every last one of those women and their families consider these tests to be an essential service.
Family planning saves money and improves health
In his budget address, the Governor also talked about one-shot gimmicks and pushing more spending into coming years’ budgets.
In the midst of a budget crisis, family planning is a uniquely good investment. Family planning is a cost-effective policy that actually saves the state money. Each public dollar spent to provide family planning services saves an estimated $4 that would otherwise be spent in Medicaid-related costs. So, for the $7.5 million saved by eliminating state funding for women’s health care, the state will pay at least $30 million more in Medicaid expenses alone.
In 2009, New Jersey family planning health centers helped prevent over 39,000 unintended pregnancies and over 18,000 abortions. As a result, New Jersey saved well over $150 million in one year ($142,282,906 savings in Medicaid costs for prenatal care & delivery and $9,893,945 savings in Medicaid abortion costs). If state funding for family planning is eliminated, there will be more unintended pregnancies and more abortions. This is not only bad health care policy, it makes no fiscal sense.
Before the elimination of state funding, New Jersey ranked 36th of all states in its level of public support for family planning. Most other states already devote better resources and more effectively leverage federal dollars for the delivery of contraceptive services and supplies. The elimination of state support will drive New Jersey even further to the bottom.
Funding for family planning must be fully restored
Completely eliminating funding for family planning services is fiscally irresponsible and downright wrong. The impact on women in New Jersey is devastating. It will inevitably cost the state money. And, it just makes no sense.
We recognize the unprecedented fiscal challenge facing New Jersey and the difficult choices you face in bringing the State budget into balance. An investment in family planning offers significant savings to the state as well as important health benefits to women and families. As go through this budget process, don’t forget the difficult choices that women have to make every day and the roles that family planning programs have played in their lives.
Thank you for your time and support.
Planned Parenthood Greater Northern New Jersey, Inc.
Good afternoon. My name is Triste Brooks and I am the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey. We are the largest ambulatory health care provider in the state of New Jersey. In 2009, we provided almost 70,000 reproductive health visits at 10 centers in 7 counties. We also provided sexual health education last year to over 25,000 New Jersey residents through our Center for Family Life Education.
The Governor’s proposed budget calls for the complete elimination of state funds for family planning services in New Jersey. The elimination of this $7.5 million budget line is devastating to critical women’s health care services. If this funding is not restored, we estimate that, statewide, 40,000 current patients will not receive services next year. We will be forced to close health centers and eliminate programs. Over 100 staff members (mostly nurses and medical staff) will lose their jobs.
Respectfully, we are here today to urge you to fully restore this funding.
Reproductive Health Care is Critical to Public Health
Last year, the state budget allocated over $7 million for basic reproductive health care services, including routine gynecological exams; basic contraception; pregnancy testing and education; screening for high blood pressure, anemia and diabetes; breast and cervical cancer screening and education; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) along with HIV testing. I want to emphasize that state family planning dollars are not used for abortion services.
We serve the most vulnerable population, who historically have had limited access to health care. People come to us for direct care and we are also a resource for referrals for primary care. This budget cut will have an unprecedented negative impact on the quality of life of these underserved, needy families.
Patients are coming to us for a first visit a lot sicker than they used to. They are telling us that this is due to loss of their jobs and/or their insurance coverage. As a result of their lack of money, they wait until it becomes absolutely necessary to see a health care provider.
Also, as a result of lost insurance and jobs, we have noticed a dramatic increase in former patients returning, sometimes after as long as 5 or 10 years, and a different type of patient coming in -- women in their 40's and 50's -- professionals who do not fit our usual demographic.
Impact of the Budget Cuts on the Patients We Serve
In 2009, Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey had close to 70,000 patient visits. Specifically, in the 7 counties we serve - Bergen, Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren, we saw an almost 10% increase in total patient visits and a 22% increase in men seeking services. If we were to lose state funding, PPGNNJ would be unable to provide services to almost 8,000 current patients, and possibly close 3 or 4 health centers, most likely in Morris, Hunterdon and Warren counties.
For many of these women and men, we provide the ONLY health care they receive.
We are one of the largest cancer-screening providers. Our patients present an abnormal Pap result rate of almost 10%, versus the average expected rate of 5% across the full population. For the sexually active teens that we serve, where else can they go for help in preventing unwanted pregnancies and protecting themselves from sexually transmitted illnesses? While we all wish that teens would remain abstinent, the latest CDC Youth Behavior Risk Survey shows that almost 75% of teens are sexually active by the time they graduate high school. Help us to prevent unintended pregnancies, along with abortions, by providing accessible, affordable family planning.
Funding for Family Planning Must Be Fully Restored
Completely eliminating family planning funding in New Jersey would be devastating. Under the proposed budget, unintended pregnancies and abortions will rise, inevitably costing the state more money than will be saved. Studies show that every $1.00 spent on public funding for family planning services saves $4.00 in Medicaid costs. This means that, by eliminating $7.5 million in family planning funding, the State faces increased Medicaid costs of approximately $30 million!
THE ELIMINATION OF FAMILY PLANNING FUNDING FROM THE STATE BUDGET WILL NOT HELP BALANCE THE BUDGET. IT MAKES NO FISCAL SENSE.
We recognize the unprecedented fiscal challenges facing New Jersey and the difficult choices you face to bring the State budget into balance. But we urge you to recognize that, as well as providing critical health benefits to women and families, an investment in family planning offers significant savings to the State in the long run.
Thank you for your time and support.
Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee. My name is Blanche Duke and I am the Vice President for Medical Services at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey, which provides reproductive, prenatal, and general wellness care and education to more than 35,000 people in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.
The Governor’s proposed budget calls for the complete elimination of state funds for family planning services in New Jersey. The total elimination of this $7.5 million budget line is devastating to critical healthcare services for women, men and teens throughout the state. I am here to ask you to take action and fully restore this urgently needed funding.
In 2009, New Jersey’s family planning agencies, including Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey, provided health care services to more than 136,000 women and men. These services include a wide range of preventative health services such as routine exams; pregnancy testing and counseling; prenatal care; breast and cervical cancer screenings; HIV testing and counseling; and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
State family planning dollars do not support abortion services but they do support prenatal services. And Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey provided services to 219low-income, pregnant moms last year. We started this program in 2008 at the request of the State of New Jersey following the terrible report card New Jersey received on providing access to prenatal care. Our program is located in Paterson, and fills an important need in the community following the closing of Barnert Hospital, the only public hospital in Passaic County.
Governor’s Christie’s proposed elimination of this critical funding will have a devastating impact on the people we serve - more than 35,000 per year. Ninety-two percent of our patients live 200% below the federal poverty guideline. In many cases, we are the only healthcare provide our patients see. With a cut this drastic, we will have to cut back services and close at least one of our six health centers—essentially closing the door on close to 5,000 patients.
We recognize the unprecedented fiscal challenge facing New Jersey and the difficult choices you face in bringing the State budget into balance. But, an investment in family planning offers significant savings to the state as well as important health benefits to women and men, while maintaining strong families. Each public dollar spent to provide family planning services saves an estimated $4 in Medicaid-related costs. That means the $7.5 million saved by eliminating state funding for family planning ultimately costs the state at least $30 million more in Medicaid expenses. In addition, in 2009, New Jersey family planning health centers, including Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey, helped prevent 39,782 unintended pregnancies and 18,896 abortions.
As a result, New Jersey saved well over $150,000,000 in one year: $142,282,906 savings in Medicaid costs for prenatal care and delivery, and $9,893,945 in Medicaid termination expense.
While these numbers all show how fiscally responsible family planning funding has been, we at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey know that the people most in need of our services will be adversely affected. For example, youth in Newark continue to lead New Jersey’s cities in both teenage births and sexually transmitted infections. Completely eliminating funding for family planning services will not help improve already alarming statistics on teen pregnancies, especially in New Jersey’s poorest communities.
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey has been providing essential reproductive healthcare for 83 years. I have been part of this work for over 20 years. Throughout it all, the staff and I have remained committed to serving our patients with professionalism, compassion and respect, advocating for their rights, serving with excellence and dignity while giving our patients the support to build healthy families that will strengthen our communities.
As you go through this budget process, don’t forget the difficult choices that women have to make every day and the roles that family planning programs have played in their lives.
I strongly and respectfully urge you to restore funding for family planning in this year’s final budget.
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Testimony by Terry Booker, Chair, Board of Trustees
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey
Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee. My name is Terry Booker and I am the Chair of the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey, which provides reproductive, prenatal and general wellness care and education to more than 35,000 people in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties.
The Governor’s proposed budget calls for the complete elimination of state funds for family planning services in New Jersey. The total elimination of this $7.5 million budget line is devastating to critical health care services for women, men and teens throughout the state. I am here to ask you to take action and fully restore this urgently needed funding.
In 2009, New Jersey’s family planning agencies, including Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey, provided health care services to more than 136,000 women and men. These services include a wide range of preventative health services such as routine exams; pregnancy testing and counseling; prenatal care; breast and cervical cancer screenings; HIV testing and counseling; and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
State family planning dollars do not support abortion services, but they do support prenatal services. And Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey provided services to 219 low-income, pregnant moms last year. We started this program in 2008 at the request of the State of New Jersey following the terrible report card New Jersey received on providing access to prenatal care. Our program is located in Paterson, and fills an important need in the community following the closing of Barnert Hospital, the only public hospital in Passaic County.
Governor’s Christie’s proposed elimination of this critical funding will have a devastating impact on the people we serve - more than 35,000 per year. Ninety-two percent of our patients live at 200% below the federal poverty guidelines. In many cases, we are the only healthcare providers our patients see. With a cut this drastic, we will have to cut back services and close at least one of our six health centers—essentially closing the door on close to 5,000 patients
We recognize the unprecedented fiscal challenge facing New Jersey and the difficult choices you face in bringing the State budget into balance. But, an investment in family planning offers significant savings to the state as well as important health benefits to women and men, while maintaining strong families. Each public dollar spent to provide family planning services saves an estimated $4 in Medicaid-related costs. That means the $7.5 million saved by eliminating state funding for family planning ultimately costs the state at least $30 million more in Medicaid expenses. In addition, in 2009, New Jersey family planning health centers including Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey helped prevent 39,782 unintended pregnancies, including 18,896 abortions.
As a result, New Jersey saved well over $150,000,000 in one year: $142,282,906 savings in Medicaid costs for prenatal care and delivery, and $9,893,945 in Medicaid termination expense.
While these numbers all show how fiscally responsible family planning funding has been, we at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey know that the people most in need of our services will be adversely affected. For example, youth in Newark continue to lead New Jersey’s cities in both teenage births and sexually transmitted infections. Completely eliminating funding for family planning services will not help improve already alarming statistics on teen pregnancies, especially in New Jersey’s poorest communities.
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey has been providing essential reproductive healthcare for 83 years. Through it all, we have remained committed to serving our patients with professionalism, compassion and respect, advocating for their rights, serving with excellence and dignity, while giving our patients the support to build healthy families that will strengthen our communities.
As you go through this budget process, please remember the difficult choices that women and men have to make every day, and the roles that family planning programs play in their lives.
I strongly and respectfully urge you to restore funding for family planning in this year’s final budget.
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Testimony by Phyllis Kinsler, President and CEO
Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey
Good evening and thank you for providing this opportunity for public comments about New Jersey’s FY 2011 budget. I am Phyllis Kinsler, President/CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey. Our agency provides reproductive health care, community based education and professional training programs throughout Middlesex, Monmouth and Northern Ocean Counties. Our health centers are located in New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Spotswood, Hazlet, Freehold and Shrewsbury.
These are, indeed, challenging times for all New Jersey policy makers and legislators. We recognize that it is harder than ever to balance your concern for the people of New Jersey, especially the most vulnerable New Jerseyans, with your need to be fiscally responsible. I hope to persuade you that reproductive health is more of a solution than a problem for your budget deliberations.
As a health care provider, I want to speak for PPCNJ’s patients. In 2009, we provided health services to almost 16,000 individuals (15,6ll women and 329 men). 6319 of those patients received services at Middlesex County health centers. 91% of them had family incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level – to make that number real, it means an income of $22,051 for a family of four in central New Jersey. The majority of our patients are young adult women, ages 20-29, who are working as hairdressers, restaurant workers, retail clerks, office workers and in other jobs that do not provide health insurance. They (sometimes barely) live from paycheck to paycheck afraid that any illness or emergency expense will jeopardize their ability to support themselves. Many are also students preparing themselves for what they hope will be a better job that offers the stability to afford a healthy planned pregnancy at the right time in their lives. In 2009 we performed 10,275 Pap Smears and 7900 clinical breast exams; 1100 Pap Smears and 279 breast exams identified a condition that needed additional medical care. Those women, your sisters, wives, daughters and friends, received care before a medical need became a medical crisis. That’s what preventive reproductive health care does and that’s what is at stake now.
As the CEO of a small business, I employ 49 N.J. residents, rent facilities from three N.J. landlords, purchase custodial, snow plowing, maintenance, computer and printing supplies and services from more than 30 other N.J. small businesses. The loss of our state contract to provide family planning services will mean layoffs and reduced schedules for my staff, sending more N.J. citizens to unemployment, Medicaid and charity care; reduced health center hours and services will be a financial hardship on our vendors with whom we will do less business; and reduced or terminated services for clients of other community based organizations will negatively impact those organizations.
As a taxpayer, I am frustrated and angry that N.J. will spend more money on Medicaid and family support services than it saves in family planning grants. From the day I moved to N.J. in 1986, I’ve listened to politicians complain that N.J. does not receive enough federal money. I find it incredible that our Governor has decided to forfeit federal Medicaid funds to provide subsidized health care for New Jersey’s poorest working women and that his budget jeopardizes millions of dollars of federal family planning grants. Reducing services will make us less competitive for the federal Title X money that is leveraged by state funds.
The reproductive health care provided by New Jersey’s family planning agencies is a WIN-WIN for N.J. Governor Christie’s budget and Medicaid strategy is a LOSE-LOSE for N.J. You need to act, not just in spite of, but because of our state’s financial crisis. New Jersey can and must do better.
