PathWays PA Policy Blog

Last week, the federal government announced a proposed change to the Health Care Rights Law (part of the Affordable Care Act) that would overturn healthcare protections for transgender people. Under the rule change, gender identity would no longer be protected by federal laws preventing discrimination in health care. Requirements that insurers give notice of a patient's rights to translation services would also be eliminated. According to the ACLU , the new rule would also remove "termination of pregnancy" as a reason to make a legal claim of sex discrimination in health care. Both the specific protections for transgender people and termination of pregnancy have been the subject of lawsuits and were stopped under federal injunction. While there are other protections for transgender people in the ACA , repealing this part of the law could lead to further rollbacks later. Take Action: The Protect Trans Health Campaign has a link to submit a comment to the Dep

*** Sign the Petition !*** On Wednesday June 5, a bipartisan group of State Senators and Representatives will be hosting a press conference at the PA State Capitol in Harrisburg to announce "The Family Care Act" - a bill that will establish a statewide family and medical leave program. PathWays PA is proud to support the  Family Care Campaign  along with the Women and Girls Foundation and countless partners. We have been working hard to get this bill introduced in the legislature, and now we need your help to get it passed!  We invite you to join us for this special day of action – please let us know if you will be attending !

If you live in Pennsylvania, please make a plan to vote in the primaries on May 21. You can see a list of upcoming elections in all states here . Please use and share our guide to make it easier to prepare for Election Day. *** If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.  Issues  may include (but are not limited to): being told the wrong date/time to vote; not being allowed to cast a  provisional ballot ; being intimidated or challenged at the polls.  Be sure to bring this number with you when you vote! *** Who is running for office? In Pennsylvania, voters will choose candidates for judges, school boards, and local government positions. The candidates who win will go on to the General Election in November. You can only vote for candidates running in your party in the Pennsylvania primaries unless there is a special election. Several districts will be holding special elections on May 21 - you can find the list here . There are a few places you can