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All women and families should have the resources they need to decide when and if they want to start a family, and I have been fighting like hell to ensure that the choice is theirs. I am committed to protecting and expanding access to reproductive healthcare, all while lowering costs for Michiganders.?
That?s why yesterday, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, I announced that we?re seeking federal approval for an initiative called ?Plan First!? This initiative would expand access to family planning services, free contraception, cancer screenings, STI/STD testing, and more, saving Michiganders up to $2,000 a year. Family planning is a public health service that allows women and couples to have healthier pregnancies, to help time and space births, and achieve the family size they desire.
 Governor Whitmer at a roundtable on reproductive rights in Lansing.
At the moment, women in Michigan can access low or no-cost family planning services through Michigan's Family Planning Program and through the Healthy Michigan Plan, the state's expanded Medicaid program. However, approximately 25,000 Michiganders do not qualify under the income eligibility for Healthy Michigan or traditional Medicaid, which means this new program would significantly increase the number of people who can access family planning resources without breaking their bank.?
Plan First saves 25,000 Michiganders $2,000 a year and offers:??
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Initial and annual physical exams relating to reproductive health and family planning options, including patient education and counseling.???
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Breast and cervical cancer screenings.???
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Sexually transmitted infections and HIV screening and testing.???
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Sterilization services.???
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Family-planning-related laboratory services.????
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Medical, diagnostic and treatment services that are determined to be necessary during a family planning visit, such as treatment for sexually transmitted infections or diseases or cervical cancer vaccinations.???
The new Plan First! Family Planning Policy ? if approved ? is expected to take effect in spring 2023. Details will be provided at that time about how to apply.???
I will keep working to protect and expand access to reproductive health care.?I?ve worked to strengthen contraception access, including establishing Medicaid coverage of a 12-month supply of birth control and allowing pharmacists to partner with physicians to prescribe hormonal birth control so that women can go directly to their pharmacy for contraception. ?
Plan First builds upon these efforts. These services are critical to help people live and plan their lives, and I will keep fighting like hell to ensure Michiganders have reproductive freedom and quality, affordable health care.?
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor of Michigan
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