Insurance Commissioner Lara Denounces Trump Administration Attack on Women’s Health

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 22 -- The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release:

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today condemned the Trump Administration's most recent attack on women's health, in its release today of the "Compliance with Statutory Program Integrity Requirements" final rule:

"The Trump Administration's rule would deny women access to vital reproductive health services. The rule will be particularly devastating to hard-working low-income Californians who comprise a quarter of all recipients who receive vital health services from the program. The Trump Administration's attack on this program essentially defunds Planned Parenthood, an important provider of cancer screenings, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment, and contraceptive counseling. The Department of Insurance opposed this proposed federal rule last year, and I stand in solidarity with Attorney General Becerra in efforts to block the final rule in the courts now."

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Population Affairs (OPA), Title X funds are used to support the delivery of family planning and related services to more than 1,000,000 low-income uninsured or underinsured Californians annually at over 350 health centers throughout California. Californians made up approximately 26% of Title X service recipients nationwide in 2016. Of these Californians, 91% had income under 250% of the poverty level which qualified them for subsidized or free services.

The California Department of Insurance, established in 1868, is the largest consumer protection agency in California. Insurers collect $310 billion in premiums annually in California. Since 2011 the California Department of Insurance received more than 1,000,000 calls from consumers and helped recover over $469 million in claims and premiums. Please visit the Department of Insurance website at www.insurance.ca.gov. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800.927.4357. Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD), please dial 800.482.4833.