Planned Parenthood warns of grim future for clinics after Medicaid cuts

"The Medicaid ban took effect in July. A provision tucked into President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill cut the funding for health care providers that offer abortions and receive more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements each year for basic reproductive health services such as birth control, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, pledged to continue performing the procedure. It also challenged the Medicaid ban in court, a fight that is ongoing."

"In September, a federal appeals court allowed the Medicaid ban to take effect while Planned Parenthood's lawsuit against the Trump administration plays out. That month alone, the organization provided $45 million in health care services free of charge for Medicaid patients, according to its new report. Without Medicaid or a way to backfill the funding, more clinics could close, said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson - leaving many Medicaid patients without a place to get affordable care."

"The 20 clinics the group has closed since the Medicaid ban became law are in addition to more than two dozen Planned Parenthood clinics that shut down earlier this year because of other federal funding cuts. Those that remain open are "being pushed to the brink," the report said."

Federal policy cut Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers that offer abortions and receive more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements annually, affecting services like birth control, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings. The ban took effect in July and remains in force while litigation proceeds. Planned Parenthood absorbed tens of millions in uncompensated care, providing $45 million in free services in September alone. Twenty clinics closed since the ban, adding to earlier shutdowns. Continuing to absorb losses is unsustainable and will likely cause more clinic closures, leaving many Medicaid patients without affordable reproductive and primary care.

Read at The Washington Post