Medicaid reimbursements for all Planned Parenthood clinics in California now banned for one year after restraining order expires Monday
CENTRAL COAST REGION, Calif. – A temporary restraining order blocking the removal of Planned Parenthood from Medicaid programs for one year has expired and all 114 Planned Parenthood health centers across California, including the six clinics on the Central Coast, will no longer receive reimbursements from the federal health program.
The change was part of the Congressional reconciliation bill passed earlier this year, also known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act', and prohibited Medicaid reimbursements for large health clinics that provide abortions.
Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortions, in California and according to Planned Parenthood's 2022-2023 Annual Report, abortion services account for four percent of all health services provided nationwide.
Almost 70 percent of patients who use Planned Parenthood California Central Coast health centers rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of their visit shared Planned Parenthood in a press release Wednesday.
California's Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal.
Since 1977, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions nationwide except for terminating pregnancies that endanger the life of the mother, or are a result of rape or incest.
In 2022, California voters approved Proposition 1 which made reproductive health care choices, including the right to an abortion and the use of contraceptives, part of the state's Constitution after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right guaranteed since 1973.
Medicaid is jointly funded by states and, because of that funding split, 17 states -including California- cover the cost of abortions reimbursed through Medicaid.
In response to the bill's changes, Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The healthcare group argued that the one-year termination of reimbursements violated rights of patients and providers guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and could force some health centers to close.
According to Planned Parenthood, Medicaid reimbursements account for 60 percent of of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast's total annual revenues.
"The harsh reality is, the Planned Parenthood defund will be felt in every corner of the state and will disproportionately impact people who have low incomes, rely on Medicaid programs, or have no other options for health care," explained Jodi Hicks, President and Chief Executive of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
The one-year funding freeze was a reduction from the bill's original ten-year ban and required by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to allow the bill to be passed through the reconciliation process which requires a simple majority for approval.
After the expiration of the temporary restraining order on Monday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a decision granting partial relief to organizations who did not provide abortions, largely in state's that prohibit the procedure, or who received less than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in 2023.
That partial relief would not include any Planned Parenthood health centers in California and applied to a fraction of the almost 600 clinics nationwide.
"The Court’s decision, at least for now, allows the Trump Administration’s cruel, politically motivated attack on Planned Parenthood and our patients to move forward. This attack disproportionately harms patients in states like California, where abortion is still legal," said Jenna Tosh, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast. "Anti-abortion politicians have been unsuccessful at banning abortion nationwide, so they are trying to force Planned Parenthood to close our doors. But we will not back down, and we will not give up."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has filed an appeal of the partial relief.
A spokesperson on behalf of the federal health agency argued against the partial relief in a statement provided to the New York Times stating, "States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care" which parallels plans by the Trump Administration to end all federal funding for organizations providing abortions.
Your News Channel has reached out to Planned Parenthood California Central Coast about the funding impact on local clinics and its response will be added to this article when it is received.
