Staff and patients of Planned Parenthood demonstrated against potential state budget cuts that would eliminate the Family PACT Program.

Family PACT is a program which provides free family planning services to more than 1.5 million low-income men and women. Family PACT helps fund Planned Parenthood.

The Senate Sub-Committee in charge of the budget will discuss two possible proposals tomorrow that could affect the program. One proposal would cut funding, the other will eliminate programs like these altogether if an additional $3.9 billion in federal assistance is not received.

State officials say they do not think they will have to eliminate Family PACT, but they need additional funding to ensure it continues.

“We’re hopeful that by working with the state delegation and the Obama administration, that trigger will not have to be pulled,” said H.D. Palmer, the Deputy Direct of the State Department of Finance.

Family PACT offers reproductive health services to people with no medical insurance and those who cannot get Medi-Cal, as well as those whose insurance does not cover family planning. Some worry if Family PACT is eliminated, men and women in need of family services will have no place to go.

“If they cut Family PACT, they’re going to be turning away patients and there’s nowhere those patients could go that would be able to give them those services for free,” said Alison Kudlow, a former patient of Planned Parenthood.

It is unclear exactly how the new federal health care reform bill will affect reproductive care, but some say it will significantly increase coverage for family planning.

“There are a lot of people who don’t have access to health care because it’s out of pocket too expensive and women are a significant portion of the population so it should improve women’s health,” said Dr. Robert Myrtle, a professor of health services.

Federal Health Reform will not take effect for four years. Until then, Planned Parenthood and other family services programs said they will wait for the state budget to be finalized before they learn the fate of their funding.