The Jean Hoffman Health Center in Tucson is a Title X location.
What is Title X (Title 10)? And why should I care?
The short answer: Title X may mean that some people qualify for free or reduced-cost family planning services, which could impact their ability to meaningfully access health care. In a time of rising health care costs and precarious employment, that is no small thing.
The longer explanation: Title X is a federal family planning program that was enacted in 1970. For anyone keeping historical tabs, this means that Republican President Richard Nixon signed this piece of legislation into action. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, “The Title X program is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them. By law, priority is given to persons from low-income families.” While there are other federally funded health care sources for people with low incomes, Title X remains the only source dedicated specifically to family planning services.
If you can’t afford family-planning and sexual health services, Title X may help.
In Arizona, the Arizona Family Health Partnership uses Title X funds to provide services to approximately 40,000 people each year. Most of these people have incomes at or below the federal poverty line and may not otherwise have access to health care. Four Arizona Planned Parenthood health centers receive Title X funds through the Arizona Family Health Partnership to provide reduced cost sexual and reproductive health care.
In addition to contraception, Title X covers a variety of preventive services, including:
- reproductive life/family planning counseling
- gynecological examinations and basic lab tests
- breast and cervical cancer screenings
- testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases
- HIV testing and risk reduction counseling
- pregnancy testing
- general health screenings for high blood pressure, diabetes, and anemia
- community education and outreach
By statute, no Title X funds pay for abortion services. However, people experiencing unintended pregnancies may receive nondirective counseling related to all pregnancy options: prenatal care and delivery, infant care, adoption and foster care, and abortion.
Title X health centers are open to all, regardless of income level. However, people who meet Title X’s specific income requirements may qualify to receive either free services or services based on sliding scale fees. Income requirements are based on annual federal poverty levels. In many circumstances, minors will qualify for free services. For health centers funded by the Arizona Family Health Partnership, “People 17 and younger are eligible to receive all of our services as permitted by state law. Costs are determined by the teenager’s income unless a parent or guardian is present.”
Additionally, minors — and in fact people of all ages and incomes — will receive confidential reproductive health care at Title X locations. The only exceptions are:
- if you are a minor and mention rape, abuse, or incest, it will be reported to the proper agency in accordance with Arizona law;
- positive results for certain sexually transmitted diseases (STIs/STDs) must be reported to the state health department.
Four Planned Parenthood health centers in Arizona provide services with Title X funding — the Maryvale Health Center in Phoenix, the Hoffman Health Center in Tucson, and the Planned Parenthood health centers in Mesa and Yuma. If you’d like to access Title X services at one of these health centers, call:
- 602-277-PLAN (7526) in Phoenix;
- 520-408-PLAN (7526) in Tucson;
- (toll-free) 855-207-PLAN (7526) elsewhere in Arizona.
For people farther away from those Planned Parenthood health centers, you can search here for other Arizona Title X locations.
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At the moment I am unemployed bt seeking employment I have no health insurance nd would like to knw if I qualify for ur program I am 8 weeks pregnant. Please let me knw. Wht my options are nd wht I can do. Thank you very much.
Erika — I’m not sure, but I think your best bet is to contact your nearest Title X health care center directly. They’ll know specific income levels for their free and sliding scale services — as well as what documentation is needed to obtain those services.
Hi! If you are in Arizona, the above post has the information you need for contacting health centers directly:
* 602-277-PLAN (7526) in Phoenix;
* 520-408-PLAN (7526) in Tucson;
* (toll-free) 855-207-PLAN (7526) elsewhere in Arizona.
Or search here for other Title X locations in Arizona.
If you’re outside of Arizona, you can contact your nearest Planned Parenthood and ask about their Title X programs. You can click here to find a location near you. If there isn’t a Planned Parenthood location close to you, the people at your regional Planned Parenthood affiliate still might be able to refer you to other places with Title X programs.