According to Draft Plan by HHS, Trump Admin Will Intensify Efforts Throughout 2018-2022 to Undermine Health Care for Women, LGBTQ Individuals, Racial & Ethnic Minorities, & Other Vulnerable Populations
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In the letter,
"If implemented as proposed, this draft Plan would further advance efforts by the
* No focus on helping women avoid unplanned and unwanted pregnancies;
* Not ensuring that women have access to the health care needed for their own health and in order to successfully carry out a healthy pregnancy;
* Failing to acknowledge that women face a range of unique health needs, such as higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers; and
* Eliminating support for LGBTQ individuals and partnerships with tribes and with American
Full text of Senators' letter below and PDF can be found HERE https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/102717%20-%20HHS%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf.
Dear Acting Secretary Hargan,
We write to express our deep concerns with the
The draft Plan reverses course on a number of priorities from the previous Strategic Plan, suggesting the Department is not interested in prioritizing the health care of women, LGBTQ individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable populations, but rather is intent on advancing extreme, ideological viewpoints and certain religious perspectives over science-based programs and health care. Meanwhile, there are notable omissions in the draft Plan regarding access to and improvement of health care for vulnerable populations.
The only mention of women in the draft Plan is in the context of pregnancy and childbirth. The draft Plan does not focus on helping women avoid unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Further, the Plan does not ensure that women have access to the health care needed for their own health and in order to successfully carry out a healthy pregnancy. The draft Plan also fails to acknowledge that, in addition to reproductive health, women face a range of unique health needs, such as higher risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Instead, in repeatedly stating that life begins at conception, the draft Plan imposes certain ideological views on all individuals, fails to account for a woman's right to control her own reproductive health decisions, and runs counter to well-established constitutional caselaw.[1] The concept of life beginning at conception has not been mentioned in previous strategic plans, dating back to at least 2000.[2] We do not believe that it is within HHS's purview or the public interest for the Department to enforce religiously-backed, ideological policies and interventions, especially those without the backing of scientifically vetted studies.
In the draft Plan, the language from previous strategic plans about support for LGBTQ individuals is eliminated altogether. Past strategic plans have talked about significant disparities that persist in key health indicators in certain populations, including for LGBTQ youths and adults. For example, the FY 2001 Strategic Plan stated, "Despite major advances in health care in
Also absent from the draft Plan are efforts to prioritize minority groups who face some of the nation's worst health outcomes. Previous strategic plans, including those implemented through the
Previous strategic plans have promoted partnerships with tribes and consistently recognized states and tribes jointly in nation-wide health promotion efforts. The draft Plan includes only one reference to tribes in a section about mental health and substance use disorders.[6] While coordination with American
The mission of HHS is to "enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans."[7] This draft Plan fundamentally fails to recognize the needs of people across the country. Instead, it is a troubling continuation of policies since the beginning of the
[1] HHS Strategic Plan, FY 2018 - 2022, Draft
[2] HHS Strategic Goals and Objectives - FY 2001; HHS Strategic Plan - FY2004-2009; HHS Strategic Plan FY2007-2012; HHS Strategic Plan FY2010-2015; HHS Strategic Plan FY2014-2018.
[3] HHS Strategic Goals and Objectives - FY 2001
[4] HHS Strategic Plan FY 2010-2015: "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals may face problems in seeking and receiving care that meets their needs;" HHS Strategic Plan FY2014-2018: "Promote expanded access to high-quality, culturally competent health care services to improve health equity, and address health disparities among populations including racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, refugees, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and people with Limited English Proficiency and limited health literacy skills."
[5] HHS Strategic Plan FY2007-2012
[6] HHS Strategic Plan, FY 2018 - 2022, Draft
[7] https://www.hhs.gov/about/index.html
Read this original document at: https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/senate-dems-to-trump-health-dept-time-to-drop-tom-price-era-strategic-plan-prioritizing-extreme-ideology-over-science
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