By Associated Press’s Sophie Autin
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration was sued Tuesday by more than 20 states, primarily led by Democrats, for its attempts to reduce Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country.
The action is a reaction to the expenditure cuts and tax breaks that Trump enacted earlier this month. Medicaid funding for major family planning service providers will be discontinued for a year as part of the proposed changes, which target programs including birth control, cancer screenings and tests, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.
Groups that received more than $800,000 in Medicaid in 2023 are subject to the reduction. Although the Act was intended to target Planned Parenthood, it also had an impact on a major Maine medical provider.
In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, California, New York, Washington, D.C., Connecticut, and other states contend that the text of the clause is ambiguous regarding whose groups it applies to. Additionally, they claim that it violates the First Amendment’s free speech clause by retaliating against Planned Parenthood for supporting access to abortion.
The states are requesting that the relevant section of the statute be declared unconstitutional and prohibited.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated at a press conference that the changes jeopardize the access of many low-income Americans to health care.
The Democrat claimed that this attack was about more than abortion. It’s about denying care that vulnerable populations depend on on a daily basis.
However, the clause was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which was named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
In an email, spokesman Andrew G. Nixon stated that states shouldn’t be compelled to support groups that prioritize political advocacy over health care. It is regrettable that these Democratic attorneys general aim to curtail state autonomy and ignore enduring worries about responsibility.
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Earlier this year, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Maine Family Planning, which run 18 clinics providing various services around the state, filed separate lawsuits contesting the reduction. Despite not being directly mentioned in the statute, Planned Parenthood stated that the clause was intended to impact its almost 600 locations spread across 48 states. According to the NGO, the measure would deprive over a million patients of care, putting over a third of those clinics at risk of closing.
On Monday, a federal judge decided that Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood facilities around the country must continue.
According to Maine Family Planning, it has enough cash on hand to continue seeing Medicaid-eligible patients until October without receiving payment. Medicaid enrolls around half of the group’s non-abortion patients.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, contends that forcing Planned Parenthood facilities to shut down or reduce services might eventually raise the cost of health care in the state. If not, states will have to use their own money to maintain health centers.
Planned Parenthood’s constitutional rights must be violated in order to force individuals to use nonexistent alternative providers who are unable to fill the gap, or we must spend at least $6 million to pay for those services. Democratic attorney general of Connecticut, William Tong, said.
Although most abortions are already prohibited by federal law from being paid for with government funds, some conservatives contend that abortion clinics subsidize abortion by using Medicaid funds intended for other medical services.
This article was written by Susan Haigh of the Hartford, Connecticut, Associated Press.
Austin is a member of the Statehouse News Initiative’s Report for America/Associated Press corps.A nonprofit national service initiative called Report for America places reporters in local newsrooms to explore topics that aren’t often covered. Austin may be followed on X:@sophieadanna.
