The Health Equality Campaign is the largest nonprofit legislative advocacy organization dedicated to advancing bodily autonomy and ethical, evidence-based healthcare policy with regards to infant circumcision. We work to challenge entrenched medical and institutional biases that too often prioritize revenue over patient rights and informed consent.

Through strategic legislative advocacy, we seek to ensure that parents receive complete, accurate, and unbiased information so they can make fully informed healthcare decisions for their children. Our mission is to protect children from the unnecessary and irreversible medical interventions known as ENTIC (elective non-therapeutic infant circumcision), and to uphold their fundamental right to bodily integrity.

Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have placed many racial and ethnic minority communities at heightened risk of harm—particularly when healthcare systems and consolidated corporate medical practices elevate financial incentives above patient outcomes. The close business relationships between insurance providers and healthcare institutions frequently leave patients and families underrepresented in policy decisions.

Infant circumcision is the starkest example of what is wrong with the American “fee for service” medical system.

The Campaign seeks to protect children under both private and Medicaid insurance from the unnecessary and painfully traumatic practice of routine infant circumcision.

Insurance coverage of ENTIC (Elective Non-Therapeutic Infant Circumcision) is based on the business model where unneeded services are promoted to provide greater hospital revenue. The medical industry lobbies insurance companies to pay for these services, and insurance companies in turn eagerly increase premium rates. The “fee for service” healthcare system and the “for-profit” insurance industry have been unwilling to stop these conflicts of interest.

State by State Medicaid Coverage for Neonate Elective Infant Circumcision

The Business of Medicine is Big Business

The friendly doctor or nurse is the visible layer the average person encounters when interacting with the healthcare system. However behind these helpful clinicians is a $3.8 trillion dollar Goliath that is the business of medicine. The money flow for the U.S. fee for service healthcare system stretches from your doctor’s office all the way to Wall Street.

Hospitals and medical practices hire billing code or revenue consultants to review patient paperwork. They make sure the backoffice staff bills out the maximum amounts possible, and that the medical staff perform additional services that are payable by insurance – even if not necessary.

Healthcare systems and medical practices are well-funded interests that fight vigorously to protect their income stream. The American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and other medical trade association lobbies, spend over $600 million dollars a year just to influence legislation and regulation. They fight for laws, regulations, and rules favorable to their business model. Any proposed reduction of revenue income is met with stiff opposition from these groups.

Wall Street private-equity (PE) firms are on a buying spree to buyout medical practices for millions of dollars. The for-profit PE firms then seek to increase revenues to not only pay for the buyouts but make greater profits. Attempts to cut revenues sends these investors into a panic because any disruption to cash flow would jeopardize their investment. These PE firms pour tens of millions of dollars in lobbying politicians to protect their investments.

Many hospitals are also owned by non-profit corporations. But don’t let the non-profit designation fool you. For instance with Northwell Health, a New York non-profit healthcare system, executive compensation totals over $37 million dollars per year. These executives, board members, and trustees will fight to preserve hospital revenue (along with their paychecks & bonuses.)

With regards to infant male circumcision we seek to :

• Prohibit solicitation and pressuring of parents to circumcise
• Prohibit use of dangerous medical devices
• Require doctor adherence to a mandatory analgesia policy
• Ending government financial incentives which jeopardize children’s bodily autonomy
• Ensure hospitals provide a fully informed consent policy outlining all risks of circumcision

While achieving these goals, we can help parents make better choices, reduce Medicaid costs, protect children, and improve the health & well being of New York’s residents.

The Campaign is dedicated to vigorous and effective legislative advocacy that will deliver results for our cause. We will target states that offer the best strategic opportunity opportunity for change. We will deliver solid and smart messages to key decision makers in the public sector.

The Campaign will endeavor to influence New York State legislators, and other levels of government to support healthcare equality and a harm reduction legislative agenda. We believe we can lobby for incremental change to state policy, regulations, and laws to hasten the decline of circumcision rates.

Our messaging will, at all times, be consistent with our mission – that every child has the inalienable right to an intact body. We will advocate against both male and female genital mutilation (circumcision) and gender assignment surgery on intersex children.

We will also promote an intact body positive message so legislators understand and value the anatomical and psychological importance of an intact body. Together we can reduce the suffering of children and provide them with better health outcomes so they may start their lives with the fullest potential.

Fifty State Legislative and Regulatory Surveillance

The Health Equality Campaign monitors every measure, action and public comment deadline related to circumcision with our legislative and regulatory tracking system. We have access to comprehensive legislative information from Congress, all state capitols, territories, localities and the District of Columbia. We can track proposed or pending legislation of interest to the Campaign.

With this legislative and regulatory surveillance we can immediately alert our members and take action when issues critical to us arise.