Senator Hillary Clinton (RH Issues) recently called on activists to include access to reproductive health care in every discussion of health care reform. In thoughtful comments, she cautions us to leave "nothing to the imagination" because opponents will take advantage of any loophole.

Senator Clinton took the opportunity to demonstrate a broad and detailed understanding of practical solutions to address gaps in access to reproductive health care. In this four minute vignette, she outlines a three-point immediate action plan to address gaps in the reproductive health safety net. We can act on each point right now:

1) Explicit and specific inclusion of contraceptive care and preventive reproductive health services in every discussion of health care reform. This means clear integration in health insurance coverage as well as regulatory reform. The senator says we can leave nothing to chance.

By including Senator Clinton's Unintended Pregnancy Reduction Act language in the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act (as is done in the House version of the reauthorization bill), we integrate family planning with other maternal and child health services.

2) To insure that Title X's mission of access to reproductive health care for all regardless of income is fulfilled, Senator Clinton calls for adequately funding the Title X family planning program but she does not stop there.

3) When she mentions campus health care providers, she is referring to the loss of nominal pricing that was available prior to the passage of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act.

There is language that would permit pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily offer nominally priced contraceptives included in CHAMP HR 3162, but Representative Bobby Rush has proposed much more comprehensive legislation to improve the integrity of the public sector drug pricing program – H.R. 2606.

Senator Clinton calls on us to "sound the alarm" on opponents of family planning services who are not just anti-abortion. They are anti-contraception and anti-women's rights. This is a challenge we can meet, beginning with advocacy for family planning integration in the CHAMP act.

The US Senate (SCHIP) and the House (CHAMP) passed Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act bills at the beginning of August. It will go to conference committee when they reconvene.

Now, for the first time, the Congressional Budget Office has recognized in a very conservative cost analysis, that expanding Medicaid-paid access to contraceptive care saves taxpayer dollars. Those savings can and should be used to offset the costs of providing coverage to uninsured children.

Reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program is extremely important and must be acted upon before the end of September. Because the Senate language does not include family planning access expansions, it is essential that senators and representatives hear from you right now how important it is that the conference committee's final product expands access to family planning services. With the House CHAMP bill language, we could do much more and we could do it with much less administrative red tape.

Leave nothing to chance – take these three action steps:

1) Contact Senator Clinton to thank her for her support for integrating reproductive health care access in every health care reform proposal, specifically in Children's Health Insurance negotiations.

2) Visit the ‘Write Your Representative" website and the "Find Your Senator" website and communicate to them your support for family planning in Children's Health Insurance legislation.

3) Ask friends and organizations who support expanded access to Children's Health Insurance coverage and primary care that includes reproductive care, to contact congress. Direct them to this website and ask them to help spread the word.

Visit our website if we can be of help or to learn more about us. If you do contact your legislator, let us know at [email protected]. Thanks for your help!