Trump Can Block Medicaid Funds To ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood, Court Rules

The Trump administration tin move guardant pinch its scheme to “defund” Planned Parenthood by blocking it from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid, nan US government’s security programme for low-income people, a national appeals tribunal ruled precocious Thursday.

The ruling from nan first US circuit tribunal of appeals lifts a lower court’s preliminary injunction, which had stopped nan Trump management from enacting a proviso of its tax and spending bill that axed Planned Parenthood’s expertise to participate successful Medicaid for 1 year.

Now, nan reproductive wellness elephantine estimates that up to 200 Planned Parenthood clinics whitethorn look closure, fixed that 1.1 cardinal Planned Parenthood patients are eligible for Medicaid.

“Cancers will spell undetected, STIs will spell untreated and patients won’t get nan commencement power that they request to scheme their families and futures,” Alexis McGill Johnson, main executive of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said successful a property telephone connected Friday. “Patients will person to recreation further to get attraction and hold longer to get it arsenic request surges astatine wellness centers.”

More than 60% of nan clinics astatine consequence for closure are successful agrarian aliases “medically under-served areas”, while astir 90% of nan clinics are located successful blue states that presently protect abortion rights, McGill Johnson said. Planned Parenthood clinics supply almost 40% of each US abortions, according to a 2024 report from nan independent abortion session relation Abortion Care Network.

“Make nary mistake, this is simply a backdoor abortion ban,” McGill Johnson said.

It is already forbidden to usage national dollars, including money from Medicaid, to salary for abortions. In 2024, Planned Parenthood clinics treated people who trust connected Medicaid astatine much than 1.5m visits for services specified arsenic STI tests, crab screenings and contraception. However, because anti-abortion activists spot Planned Parenthood arsenic a nationalist enemy, they person spent years trying to person Republicans to “defund” Planned Parenthood by kicking it retired of Medicaid.

During nan call, McGill Johnson said Planned Parenthood had developed plans that would licence immoderate location affiliates to extremity providing abortions successful states wherever nan process remains legal, successful bid to sphere their expertise to person Medicaid. After nan call, a Planned Parenthood Federation of America spokesperson said those plans were nary longer being considered.

“That is not an effort to locomotion distant from abortion,” McGill Johnson said. “Planned Parenthood powerfully stands down our request and expertise to supply abortion attraction wherever it is ineligible successful this country. It is simply an opportunity for america to prosecute our federation to beryllium capable to supply nan attraction and besides sphere arsenic overmuch backing for reimbursement for nan services, conscionable for illustration immoderate different wellness attraction supplier should beryllium capable to do.”

In an emailed statement, nan Planned Parenthood Federation of America spokesperson stressed that “Planned Parenthood healthcare clinics will proceed to supply abortion attraction everyplace it is lawful to do so”.

Litigation successful nan lawsuit will continue, arsenic nan first circuit is group to perceive much substantive arguments successful nan lawsuit successful nan coming weeks. More than 80 cardinal group successful nan US usage Medicaid, and 11% of female Medicaid beneficiaries who are betwixt nan ages of 15 and 49 and who person family-planning services spell to Planned Parenthood, according to an analysis by nan non-profit KFF, which tracks healthcare policy.

“There’s nary back-up plan. There’s nary 1 waiting successful nan wings to return attraction of our patients,” said Dominique Lee, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, 1 of nan location Planned Parenthood affiliates that helped bring nan suit complete nan Trump administration’s provision.

“Planned Parenthood is nan information net.”