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California

Gavin Newsom
California has long been a leader in advancing reproductive freedom, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken nation-leading action to protect and expand access to reproductive health care - including by launching the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. Under his leadership, California has enacted sweeping laws to protect patients and providers, enshrined the right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution, reduced patient costs, protected consumer and health data, and invested more than $240 million to expand access to reproductive health care.

Gavin Newsom

Governor
Governor Newsom Signed S.B. 233
Governor Newsom announced, championed, and signed into law Senate Bill 233, which allows Arizona abortion providers to temporarily provide abortion care to patients from Arizona who travel to California for that care. This bill was put forth after the Arizona Supreme Court re-imposed a regressive 1864 law imposing a near-total abortion ban, thus helping to preserve abortion access for those in Arizona,

Governor Newsom Signed S.B. 233

Featured Action
This Alliance is a moral obligation to what is right and will stand as a firewall to fight for and protect providers, patients, and all who are affected by these attacks on fundamental rights.

Governor Gavin Newsom , California

Proposition 1

In 2022, California passed Proposition 1, amending the state constitution to prohibit the state from interfering with or denying an individual’s reproductive freedom, including a right to an abortion and a right to contraceptives. By taking this crucial action to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom in the state’s constitution, California led the ballot initiative wave that has swept the nation. Governor Newsom helped lead this effort, in close coordination with the California Legislature.

KEY ACTIONS

  • Emergency Stockpile of Misoprostol
    July 17, 2024

    Emergency Stockpile of Misoprostol

    In 2023, Governor Newsom announced that California secured an emergency stockpile of up to 2 million pills of Misoprostol, a safe and effective medication abortion drug, in the wake litigation seeking to block Mifepristone, a critical abortion pill. California shared the negotiated terms of its Misoprostol purchase agreement to assist other states in securing Misoprostol, at a low, common cost.

    UCLA Institute of Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy
    July 17, 2024

    UCLA Institute of Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy

    California established an Institute on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, a think tank and research center created to meet the current national crisis in access to abortion while working towards long-term solutions to advance reproductive justice.

    California Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund: Assembly Bill 2586
    July 17, 2024

    California Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund: Assembly Bill 2586

    Enacted in 2022, AB 2586 creates the California Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund to provide grants supporting comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education, including abortion care, in disproportionately impacted communities.

    California Reproductive Health Scholarship Corps: Assembly Bill 1918
    July 17, 2024

    California Reproductive Health Scholarship Corps: Assembly Bill 1918

    Enacted in 2022, AB 1918 creates the California Reproductive Health Scholarship Corps to recruit, train, and retain diverse reproductive health care professionals in underserved areas of the state.

    Centralizing Information about Reproductive Freedom in California: Senate Bill 1142
    July 17, 2024

    Centralizing Information about Reproductive Freedom in California: Senate Bill 1142

    Enacted in 2022, SB 1142 creates California’s abortion access website where the public can access information on abortion services in the state, including with respect to their legal rights, provider locations, practical support for patients, and combating misinformation.

    Reimbursement of Medication Abortions
    July 17, 2024

    Reimbursement of Medication Abortions

    The Department of Health Care Services updated its policies to allow providers to seek reimbursement for medication abortions through an extended 77 gestational days for services. In addition, the Department made permanent COVID-19 flexibilities, including the use of telehealth for medication abortion.

    Funding for Comprehensive Family Planning Services: Section 1115 Federal Waiver
    July 17, 2024

    Funding for Comprehensive Family Planning Services: Section 1115 Federal Waiver

    California submitted a reproductive health services Section 1115 federal waiver for a $200 million ($15 million General Fund) grant program focused on supporting access to family planning and related services, system transformation, capacity, and sustainability of California’s safety net. This funding builds on California’s 2022 Budget Act investments for reproductive health services and continues California’s progress to provide comprehensive family planning and related services.

    $240 Million to Support Patients and Providers
    July 17, 2024

    $240 Million to Support Patients and Providers

    California has recently allocated over $240 million to support people seeking abortion care and abortion providers. These funds help those seeking abortion care with expenses such as travel, lodging, and other related costs; cover uninsured abortion care to increase access, particularly in underserved communities; support health care facilities and providers; provide training, curriculum, fellowships, and loan forgiveness to build a diverse workforce of reproductive health care professionals; and improve physical and digital security at abortion care facilities.

    Consumer Complaint Form
    July 17, 2024

    Consumer Complaint Form

    The California Department of Justice created a new consumer complaint form for Californians who have been the victim or target of deceptive, misleading, unfair, or unlawful conduct by fake clinics (aka crisis pregnancy centers).

    Consumer Alert: Protect Your Privacy When Seeking Abortion Care
    July 17, 2024

    Consumer Alert: Protect Your Privacy When Seeking Abortion Care

    The Department of Justice issued a Consumer Report, titled “Protect Your Privacy When Seeking Abortion Care,” which provides patients with steps they can take to better protect their privacy when accessing abortion care.

    Coverage of Abortion Care as Basic Health Care: Bulletin 2022-7
    July 17, 2024

    Coverage of Abortion Care as Basic Health Care: Bulletin 2022-7

    In 2022, the California Department of Insurance issued Bulletin 2022-7, clarifying that: Abortion care is a basic health care service; abortion care medication must also be covered as part of an insurer’s outpatient prescription drug benefit; California pharmacies will be certified to dispense abortion medication in early 2023; and starting on January 1, 2023, insurers cannot impose cost-sharing for abortion care and

    related services or utilization management or review for covering outpatient abortion

    care services.

    Abortion Supplemental Payment Program
    July 17, 2024

    Abortion Supplemental Payment Program

    Pursuant to the 2022 and 2023 Budget Acts, California’s Department of Health Care Services established a supplemental payment program for non-hospital community clinics that incur significant costs associated with providing abortion services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

    Timely Access to Abortion Care When Out-of-State: All Plan Letter 22-027
    July 17, 2024

    Timely Access to Abortion Care When Out-of-State: All Plan Letter 22-027

    In 2022, The California Department of Managed Health Care issued All Plan Letter (APL) 22-027 reminding all California health plans that they must provide timely access to medically necessary basic health care services, including abortion care, when plan members are outside of California.

    Underscoring Abortion Care Access: All Plan Letter 22-022
    July 17, 2024

    Underscoring Abortion Care Access: All Plan Letter 22-022

    In October 2022, The California Department of Health Care Services issued All Plan Letter (APL) 22-022 reminding Medi-Cal Managed Care Health Plans that they must: Cover abortion care without imposing access hurdles; allow enrollees to go to any Medi-Cal provider for abortion care; help enrollees find an abortion care provider if a health care provider does not offer abortion care services; and pay out-of-network abortion providers no less than the Medi-Cal Fee-For-Service rate.

    Protecting Electronic Health Records in California: Assembly Bill 352
    July 17, 2024

    Protecting Electronic Health Records in California: Assembly Bill 352

    Enacted in 2023, AB 352 ensures individual electronic health records related to reproductive health care services are protected for people traveling to California for care that is illegal in their home state.

    Assembly Bill 1666
    July 17, 2024

    Assembly Bill 1666

    Enacted in 2022, AB 1666 seeks to protect people or entities in California from civil liability for providing, aiding, or receiving abortion care in the state.

    Executive Order N-12-22: Protecting Patients and Providers
    July 17, 2024

    Executive Order N-12-22: Protecting Patients and Providers

    In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-12-22, which prohibits state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state actions seeking medical records, patient data, and other sensitive information by other states or individuals within those states looking to restrict abortion care access; and adopts a policy of declining out-of-state extradition requests related to legal abortion in California.

    Proposition 1: Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Reproductive Freedom
    July 17, 2024

    Proposition 1: Constitutional Amendment Enshrining Reproductive Freedom

    In 2022, California voters passed Proposition 1, which expressly enshrines the right to choose to have an abortion,  contraception, and other forms of reproductive health care in the California Constitution.

    IN THE NEWS

  • See More
  • Democratic Governors Brace for Supreme Court Abortion Pill Ruling
  • Bloomberg Law
  • February 26, 2024

    Democratic Governors Brace for Supreme Court Abortion Pill Ruling

    Ian Lopez & Celine Castronuovo

    A Supreme Court battle over medication abortion threatens to impede reproductive rights services in states led by Democrats, running up against physician shortages and an influx of patients from states where abortion is restricted.

    Gavin Newsom joins group of governors urging SCOTUS to preserve abortion pill access
  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • January 30, 2024

    Gavin Newsom joins group of governors urging SCOTUS to preserve abortion pill access

    Bob Egelko

    Governors of California and other Democratic-led states urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to maintain women’s access to the pills used in more than half of all U.S. abortions, saying a ban or restrictions on mifepristone would harm women and their states and would protect no one.

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