RICHMOND, Va. — Women's reproductive health services face mounting risks as government gridlock threatens critical healthcare funding, according to advocates and Rep. Jennifer McClellan ahead of World Menopause Day Saturday.
McClellan warned that without federal action, insurance premiums will rise and access to essential women's health services could be severely limited.
"People will die. That's what's at stake right now," McClellan said.
The congresswoman shared her personal experience with pregnancy complications, highlighting the broader health risks women face.
"I almost died in childbirth. I almost became that statistic of a Black women who is three times as likely to die from childbirth complications," McClellan said.
If Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits aren't renewed before year's end, women's access to reproductive health services could be dramatically reduced. McClellan emphasized that contraception serves multiple medical purposes beyond pregnancy prevention.
"In addition to preventing pregnancies, contraception is used for everything from treating ovarian cysts to treating menopause symptoms to treating fibroids and it's really critically important that not only you have a right to access it, but that you have an ability to access it and most insurance plans, especially under the Affordable Care Act, pay for that contraception," McClellan said.
During a roundtable discussion, advocates outlined the scope of conditions that contraception helps manage.
"PCOS, endometriosis, all of these things contraception is used to manage," one advocate said.
"This isn't just a want it's a need," another participant added.
The discussion highlighted multiple threats to women's healthcare funding.
"We are seeing reductions in Medicaid, the expiration of critical tax credits, the defunding of Planned Parenthood and deep cuts to the Title 10 family planning program. Each of these attacks alone would hurt patients, but together they represent an unprecedented attack on basic health care, including for women going through menopause," an advocate said.
McClellan noted that Americans and Virginians using state healthcare exchanges are already receiving notices about rising premiums.
"You can go and check what your premiums will be next year because the notices are going out. They are available on the website right now. Open enrollment to renew your insurance starts November 1st. Now is the time to make sure you know what's going to happen and to make your voice heard," McClellan said.
Regarding menopause specifically, advocates stressed the importance of accessible treatment options.
"You don't have to suffer when it comes to menopause," one advocate said.
CBS 6 reached out to Republican representatives John McGuire and Rob Wittman for comment regarding McClellan's statements. While we did not hear back from Representatives McGuire or Wittman, they did join a group of Congressional Republicans yesterday in an op-ed published in the Hill to highlight the serious impacts being felt across Virgina and call on Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown. They didn’t specifically express the impact on healthcare but did address the impact on the nearly 150-thousand federal employees in Virginia and the state’s economy.
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