Guest Piece from AZPHA member and Affirm CEO Bre Thomas:
In light of the recently leaked Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2026 Discretionary Budget Passback, which includes the proposed elimination of the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) and zeroing out the Title X Family Planning Program, I am writing to provide you with an update from Affirm.
We understand the document is pre-decisional and does not represent a finalized proposal. However, we want to share current Arizona’s Title X program data to support any internal discussions and monitoring. As you know, Title X is the backbone of the nation’s reproductive health safety net. It supports essential services for individuals and families who would otherwise go without care.
In Arizona, the impact of Title X is broad and deep. In 2024:
- 35,629 clients received care through Title X-supported services.
- These individuals accounted for 50,106 visits across dozens of clinic sites statewide.
- Services were delivered by 505 staff members supported by Title X funding at 53 clinics statewide.
- Most critically, 19,790 of the clients served lived at or below the federal poverty level.
Title X is the only federal program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. These include access to contraception, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and basic preventive care for those with limited or no insurance coverage.
We are closely tracking updates and taking part in national briefings to understand the implications of the FY 2026 budget process. Please let us know if we can provide any additional information. We deeply appreciate your leadership.