Sixteen governors have written a letter to both Senate and House Leadership "expressing strong support for the Medicaid Family Planning State Option:

a provision in the President's Fiscal Year 2010 budget and the Senate Finance Committee's Coverage Options Paper that would help us provide family planning services, including breast and cervical cancer screening, contraceptive care, and related basic preventive care to millions of women and families in need."

The letter, addressed to Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, and to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader John Boehner, was championed by Governor Ted Strickland (D-Ohio).  The other signatories include Governors Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Chet Culver (D-Iowa), John deJongh (D-Virgin Islands), Jim Doyle (D-WI), Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Christine Gregoire (D-WA), Timothy Kaine (D-VA), Theodore Kulongoski (D-OR), Martin O’Malley (D-MD), Jack Markell (D-DE), David Paterson (D-NY), Beverly Perdue (NC), Pat Quinn (D-IL), Bill Richardson (D-NM) and Bill Ritter, Jr. (D-CO).