This is a process evaluation of Washington State's TAKE CHARGE program, which began July 2001, and expands Medicaid coverage for family planning services to men and women with family incomes up to and including 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). The study finds that TAKE CHARGE has been reaching the target population and that 94% of the women enrolled wanted to prevent pregnancy, nearly three times as many providers felt totally confident at follow-up that they discuss clients' living situations compared to baseline, three-quarters of women in the first and second years received more effective birth control methods, and greater patient volumes were requiring increases in clinic capacity. The study supports what other national health organizations are calling for in public health policy: that these family planning services continue as a regular part of the scope of Medicaid services.
