Lawmaker’s claim about health services is dubious

In the House Republican health care bill, “we’re expanding women’s access to health services by redirecting Planned Parenthood dollars to community health centers, which vastly outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics.” — Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., May 4, in an email to constituents

A PolitiFact reader asked us to fact-check an email Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent to constituents just after the House passed the latest health care bill. We zeroed in on his statement about Planned Parenthood funds, in a “frequently asked questions” section.

Loudermilk has a point on the numbers. For 2015, a census of clinics that provide contraceptive services published in April 2017 by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health nonprofit showed 5,829 federally qualified health centers compared to 676 Planned Parenthood clinics. That’s a ratio of greater than 8-to1, so the adjective “vastly” seems appropriate.

But even if community health centers were able to serve every patient Planned Parenthood currently serves, that wouldn’t be “expanding women’s access to health services,” but just maintaining it. The closure of as many as 676 Planned Parenthood facilities would require more resources elsewhere just to keep pace.

The average Planned Parenthood clinic served 2,950 patients for contraceptive services in 2015, compared to 320 for the average federally qualified health center, according to the Guttmacher census.

Our ruling

Purely on the numbers, Loudermilk has a point: There are more federally qualified health centers than Planned Parenthood clinics. But the notion that bypassing Planned Parenthood would mean “expanding” access is dubious.

We rate the statement Mostly False.