Ohio Planned Parenthood Affiliate Rejects Medicaid Amid Fears Over Trump Cuts

An Ohio connection of Planned Parenthood said it will not judge Medicaid security because of uncertainty astir a judge’s ruling ordering nan Trump management to proceed sending Medicaid reimbursements to each Planned Parenthood wellness centers.

The usability of 4 clinics said it was concerned nan management could effort to claw those payments backmost if nan ruling is overturned. A 2nd group of a twelve wellness centers is not offering long-acting contraceptive devices for Medicaid patients for akin reasons.

The moves travel aft US territory judge Indira Talwani blocked a proviso of nan sweeping taxation measure that “defunds” abortion providers for 1 twelvemonth if they received much than $800,000 successful Medicaid reimbursements successful 2023. (The payments would beryllium for non-abortion services for illustration commencement power and STI testing, arsenic national rule already prohibits nan programme from covering abortions extracurricular a fewer exceptions.)

The bid prevents nan management from enforcing nan rule against Planned Parenthood; an independent supplier successful Maine filed a abstracted suit and a proceeding is scheduled for adjacent week.

The Trump management revenge announcement connected Tuesday that it would appeal nan ruling to nan first circuit tribunal of appeals; nan lawsuit will almost surely make it to nan US ultimate court. Roughly a twelve Planned Parenthood clinics person announced closures since nan measure was signed into law, pinch nan latest including nan organization’s only 2 wellness centers successful Louisiana.

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast said its New Orleans and Baton Rouge clinics would adjacent connected 30 September.

Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio (PPSWO), 1 of 2 affiliates successful nan state, said successful a connection that, while it was “relieved” to spot Talwani’s order, it would not resume accepting Medicaid, though it was seeing Medicaid patients who self-pay.

“Unfortunately for galore smaller affiliates, nan consequence of nan national authorities requesting backmost salary if nan injunction expires is still excessively great,” a spokesperson said, citing legal filings successful which nan Trump justness section said it would activity to “claw back” payments if it yet wins nan case.

“We’re trying to mitigate that consequence to sphere our capacity to connection nan different captious services south-west Ohioans and hundreds of patients from nan southbound travel to america for,” a PPSWO spokesperson added, mentioning abortion and gender-affirming care.

PPSWO closed 2 wellness centers astatine nan extremity of July, leaving it pinch 4 clinics. The spokesperson said nan judge’s injunction did not let it to reopen nan shuttered clinics successful Springfield and Hamilton.

“Across nan state and moreover wrong a authorities we whitethorn spot different strategical approaches to this devastating nonaccomplishment [for affiliates],” nan connection said. “This people of action was yet nan champion action for america pinch semipermanent sustainability successful mind.”

The different Ohio affiliate, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH), said that, while it was accepting Medicaid astatine its 12 clinics aft nan injunction, it would not supply intrauterine devices aliases commencement power implants to Medicaid patients – unless they self-pay for nan devices and nan insertion appointments. These forms of long-acting reversible contraception are immoderate of nan astir effective, but they are costly and tin beryllium difficult for low-income patients to access.

Nearly each Planned Parenthood clinics connection same-day insertions of IUDs and implants, compared pinch 60 to 70% of different family-planning clinics and wellness departments, per nan Guttmacher Institute.

In a connection to nan Guardian, PPGOH said it would not connection IUDs aliases Nexplanon implants to patients pinch Medicaid complete fears that nan Trump administration will request that money beryllium repaid if it yet wins successful court.

“These are nan astir costly services we supply and to protect nan statement from nan consequence of utmost financial loss, we can’t consequence providing these services now and past ne'er having nan claims paid,” a PPGOH spokesperson said.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is nan umbrella statement that oversees a web of astir 50 independent location affiliates, which tally astir 600 clinics crossed nan US. The fund measure defines abortion clinics arsenic “prohibited entities” for Medicaid if they deed nan aforementioned reimbursement period and execute abortions arsenic of 1 October.

During negotiations for nan bill, erstwhile nan “defund” play was 10 years, PPFA’s legalization committee informed affiliates astir caller waivers to activity support to cease providing abortions; doing truthful whitethorn let them to stay successful Medicaid. It’s not known if immoderate affiliates person submitted specified waivers aft nan one-year proviso was signed into law, but immoderate are changing their billing practices, specified arsenic successful Ohio.

Other affiliates, meanwhile, person said they are backmost to processing Medicaid security claims arsenic they typically would pursuing nan preliminary injunction. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s main strategy officer, Michelle Velasquez, told NPR that nan judge’s 28 July ruling “means that location is nary uncertainty astir whether aliases not we tin supply that care” to patients pinch Medicaid.

Planned Parenthood of nan Rocky Mountains and Planned Parenthood of Maryland confirmed to nan Guardian that they had resumed billing nan wellness security program.

Some are proceeding pinch caution. As of Thursday, Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties successful California had a announcement connected its website saying that Planned Parenthood “has been blocked” from receiving Medicaid funds.

When contacted for comment, a spokesperson said: “PPOSBC is successful nan process of cautiously resuming its billing for California Medi-Cal services it has provided since nan defunding proviso was passed, search each ineligible and regulatory updates from nan tribunal and nan state, and modifying its attack arsenic changes hap to guarantee ongoing compliance pinch presently applicable law.”