Securing Access to Reproductive and Other Healthcare Services
Executive Order 14079, titled Securing Access to Reproductive and Other Healthcare Services, was signed by President Joe Biden in August 2022. The order builds on prior actions aimed at protecting access to reproductive health care in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. It directs federal agencies, primarily the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to take actions to safeguard access to reproductive and other healthcare services, reduce legal uncertainty, and promote non-discrimination in care. Key aims include expanding access for people who must travel across state lines for treatment (to the extent allowed by federal law), improving understanding and compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws for providers that receive federal funding, and strengthening data collection to measure how access to care affects health outcomes. As an executive order, it issues policy direction and requests or instructs agencies to study, evaluate, and take actions within existing law and appropriations. It does not, by itself, create new rights or new legal obligations outside those already established by law; rather, it seeks to clarify federal expectations and to mobilize agency actions (guidance, technical assistance, and potential programmatic or regulatory steps) to protect providers and patients across state lines and to monitor and improve health outcomes related to reproductive and other healthcare services.
Key Points
- 1Addresses the policy response to the post-Roe landscape by strengthening federal action to protect access to reproductive and other healthcare services and reduce disparities in access.
- 2Defines “reproductive healthcare services” to cover medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the reproductive system, including pregnancy and abortion.
- 3Directs the Secretary of HHS to consider actions to advance access to reproductive healthcare, including, to the extent permitted by federal law, through Medicaid for patients who travel across state lines for care.
- 4Directs HHS to promote compliance with federal non-discrimination laws for providers that receive federal funding, including through technical assistance, convening providers, and issuing guidance or other actions in response to non-compliance.
- 5Requires evaluation and improvement of data collection and analysis on how access to reproductive healthcare affects maternal and other health outcomes, with actions to improve research and data systems at NIH, CDC, and other HHS components.