Reproductive healthcare is a human right.
Trans healthcare is a human right.
But Providence doesn’t agree.
Providence’s policies make it harder for patients to access the critical reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare they need. Thankfully, you have options. You can take a stand against Providence’s anti-choice, anti-trans policies by choosing an insurer and health system who shares your values.
Providence’s policies hurt patients.
Providence’s policies limit women’s ability to choose from the full range of reproductive care available here in Oregon. Not only do many Providence hospitals refuse to provide abortions or even referrals, they also limit access to common family-planning options like tubal ligations and even IUDs. These same policies have also led to patients who are actively miscarrying or experiencing life-threatening ectopic pregnancies being turned away from receiving emergency medical care.
Despite recent policy updates on paper, Providence has a disturbing track record of failing to provide quality care for transgender and non-binary patients — resulting in care being denied and/or delayed. Providers specializing in gender-affirming care have reported challenges contracting with Providence and a general reluctance to refer patients to Providence facilities. Parents have also faced obstacles to receiving adequate care for their transgender children.
By law, insured Oregon patients are entitled to free reproductive care. Covered services include a broad range of contraception and contraceptive-related services, including well-woman visits, voluntary male sterilization/vasectomy, screenings for breast and cervical cancer, screenings for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and abortion.
However, a state audit found that Providence hasn’t been following the law and was denying claims that should have been covered and charging patients for care that should have been free. The audit’s results suggest that these actions could have affected more than 67,000 Oregonians with Providence insurance.
Contact the state insurance division if you have Providence insurance and paid a co-pay or co-insurance for these services or your claim was denied.
If you have Providence insurance, you may have been improperly billed for reproductive care.
How well do you know your healthcare?
Providence lobbied for an exemption to Oregon law guaranteeing the right to abortion.
Providence limits access to common family-planning options, such as IUD’s and tubal ligations.
Providence has been sued for denying care to transgender patients.
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Seattle Sounders fans decry Providence as team’s new jersey sponsor
“Fans of the Seattle Sounders have expressed their dismay with the team’s new jersey sponsor — a familiar name to Portland Timbers and Thorns fans — due to concerns around acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community and low-income individuals.”
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[Providence is] the only private insurer in the state not required to cover abortions and other reproductive health services, such as birth control and treatment for various sexual dysfunctions.
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“I’ve had to deal with a lot of anti-trans bigotry but I didn’t expect it from a hospital,” Knight said.
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In 2015, Kallaway applied for surgery, but Providence demanded they undergo a year of testosterone treatment — a step that would be offensive, harmful and contrary to Kallaway’s non-binary identity. Eventually, they gathered the courage to appeal Providence’s denial, but the experience was drawn-out, traumatic and enraging, Kallaway said: “It was like a punch in the gut, emotionally and mentally for me.”
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Providence to limit coverage of abortions
Providence is using an exemption in the law. A proposal submitted to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner states: “Providence will not cover termination of pregnancy, unless there is a severe threat to the mother, or if the life of the fetus cannot be sustained.”
