# Understanding the Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023

This bill would create a federal grant program to fund organizations that help people access abortion services. Think of these "patient navigators" as guides who help people figure out how to get the reproductive health care they're seeking, similar to how patient navigators already help people navigate cancer treatment or other complex medical situations.

The organizations that could receive these grants include abortion funds (nonprofits that already help people pay for abortion services), community groups, and government agencies. If they get funding, they'd use it to provide services like giving people accurate medical information about their options, helping them find and schedule appointments at abortion clinics, arranging transportation and lodging if they need to travel for care, helping with childcare costs, and offering emotional support. They'd also help people understand their insurance coverage and navigate the confusing patchwork of different state laws around abortion access.

The bill includes strong legal protections for these navigators and the organizations they work for. It says that no state or individual can punish or restrict these organizations for providing these services—even in states where abortion is illegal. If a state tries to block them, the bill allows the federal government or the navigators themselves to sue in federal court to stop it. The bill also says that if someone wins such a lawsuit, the state would have to pay their legal fees and court costs.

The bill would need Congress to approve funding for this program from 2023 through 2027. The practical effect would be that people seeking abortion services in any state would have access to federally-funded help navigating the process, regardless of local restrictions.

Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023

Lee, Susie

Reproductive Health Patient Navigator Act of 2023This bill provides funding for patient navigator grants to assist individuals in accessing abortion services.The Department of Health and Human Services must award the grants to state, tribal, or local governments; nonprofits; or community organizations that offer unbiased and medically accurate programs, services, or activities to connect individuals with abortion services. Grant-funded activities include, among others, coordinating the scheduling, financing, and other logistics of abortion services.Further, the bill prohibits individuals, entities, and states from preventing or otherwise disadvantaging an entity that is eligible to receive a grant from carrying out activities to assist individuals with accessing abortion services, including in any state in which those services are not lawful. Such activities include providing (or assisting in the provision of) abortion care and other reproductive health services that are either (1) lawful in the state where the services are provided, or (2) provided to an individual who does not reside in the state where the services are provided. The Department of Justice may bring civil actions for violations; the bill also provides for a&nbsp;private right of action. &nbsp;