As medical students and future health care providers in Connecticut, we’re worried about patients’ accessibility to care statewide.
With an administration hell-bent on devastating the nation’s health care system -–especially sexual and reproductive health care-– accessing timely and affordable care with trusted providers is growing more difficult. Connecticut has the opportunity to help tens of thousands of patients continue receiving quality care, but we need the ongoing support of Connecticut state leaders during the 2026 legislative session to secure additional funding for Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE).
Like many others, we found HUSKY Health, the state Medicaid program, which makes health care coverage accessible on our limited medical student budgets. While enrollment was simple and accessible, finding in-network providers and scheduling an appointment without facing a months-long waiting list proved challenging at private providers. And when we found ourselves in need of urgent reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) was our best option.
Because of their commitment to accessible care, we were thankfully able to schedule appointments with PPSNE providers within a week. An indispensable part of the health care system, Planned Parenthood health centers are the sole provider of sexual and reproductive health care for many communities. But this access is in jeopardy.
When President Trump signed H.R. 1 – the “One Big Beautiful Bill” – into law, it was the biggest upheaval to Medicaid in its history. It also “defunds” Planned Parenthood, blocking Medicaid patients from using their insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers, impacting more than a million people’s access to life-saving care. This means Planned Parenthood health centers cannot be reimbursed for preventive services they provide.
As future doctors, this is not only cruel and harmful to patients, but also harmful to providers whose mission is to provide care, no matter what. Since it went into effect only seven months ago, 23 Planned Parenthood health center locations have had to close their doors nationwide.
Fortunately, in Connecticut, all 14 PPSNE health centers have remained open and continue to provide care to the more than 52,000 patients treated annually, nearly 25,000 of whom use Medicaid. Currently, the organization is covering costs to shield patients from the harm of this unconstitutional law. Absorbing the millions of dollars in health care and treatment costs for patients with HUSKY Health is unsustainable, and the consequences for patients like us will only worsen over time without continued financial support from the state.
In December, Gov. Ned Lamont announced a $10.4 million allocation of one-time emergency funding to backfill blocked federal funding including Medicaid which will cover vital care for nearly 25,000 patients with HUSKY Health insurance in Connecticut through July 3, 2026. But with Congressional Republicans already pushing to make this “defund” permanent, we need more than a temporary fix.
Sexual and reproductive health care has always been, and remains, chronically underfunded in our health care system. Through our medical training, we have unfortunately seen the impacts of what happens to patients who were unable to access care from a trusted provider. Cancers go undetected, sexually transmitted infections go untreated, and essential health care is neglected, jeopardizing overall health and well-being.
Just because the federal government has deprioritized sexual and reproductive health care does not mean that our needs, and the needs of thousands of PPSNE patients in Connecticut, have changed or disappeared. We all still need access to cancer screenings, STI testing, and treatment. We all still need access to essential and life-saving care.
In the future, we hope to be providers like those we have seen at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, who provided quality care with kindness and compassion when we needed it most. But we cannot guarantee this until we build toward a system that truly centers sexual and reproductive health care and advances health equity for years to come.
Patients now, and our future patients, deserve continued access to care. We urge our state elected leaders to increase emergency funding to PPSNE through July 2027 to ensure access to high-quality, affordable care for patients from their trusted provider.
Azeen Keihani and Victoria Van Riper are Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) patient advocates and medical students in Connecticut.