Planned Parenthood wins partial victory in legal fight with Trump administration over funding cuts
A provision in that bill ends Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023, even to those like Planned Parenthood that also offer things like contraception, pregnancy tests and STD testing.
But U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston granted a preliminary injunction Monday that, for now, blocks the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood member organizations that either don't provide abortion care or didn't meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year.
It wasn't immediately clear how many Planned Parenthood organizations and clinics would continue to get Medicaid reimbursements under that decision and how many might not.
Planned Parenthood said in a statement after the injunction that it's thankful the court recognized 'the harm' caused by the bill. But it said it's disappointed that some of its members will lose this funding, 'risking chaos, confusion, and harm for patients who could now be turned away when seeking lifesaving reproductive health care.'
'The court has not yet ruled on whether it will grant preliminary injunctive relief to other members,' the statement added. "We remain hopeful that the court will grant this relief. There will be nothing short of a public health crisis if Planned Parenthood members are allowed to be 'defunded.''
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member organizations in Massachusetts and Utah.
Planned Parenthood argued that allowing the provision to take effect would have devastating consequences nationwide, including increased rates of undiagnosed and untreated sexually transmitted diseases and cancer.
'With no reason other than plain animus, the law will prevent Planned Parenthood Members from providing vital — indeed, lifesaving — care to more than one million patients,' they wrote. 'This statute is unconstitutional and will inflict irreparable harm on Planned Parenthood Members and their patients."
Lawyers for the government argued in court documents that the bill 'stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion.'
'All three democratically elected components of the Federal Government collaborated to enact that provision consistent with their electoral mandates from the American people as to how they want their hard-earned taxpayer dollars spent,' the government wrote in its opposition to the motion.
The government added that the plaintiffs 'now want this Court to reject that judgment and supplant duly enacted legislation with their own policy preferences. ... That request is legally groundless.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
40 minutes ago
- The Hill
Memo pushes back on bill's impact to rural hospitals
A new memo shared first with The Hill argues the law 'contains unprecedented levels of federal assistance to rural and other vulnerable hospitals' through its five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. The administration notes that Medicaid has historically invested very little in rural hospitals. According to figures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicaid spent just $19 billion on rural hospitals in 2024. The rural health fund will provide an additional $10 billion each year from 2026 through 2030. But it ends after 2030, with no phaseout period. The memo argues the fund is a 'flexible' source of investment because it's not tied directly to reimbursement for services. Indeed, as experts have noted, the fund will not make direct payments to rural hospitals. Instead, the money will go to states, which will need to first file detailed 'rural health transformation plans' and get approval from CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz. The law gives Oz broad discretion on what he can approve, and there is no specific requirement for states to direct funds to rural hospitals or CMS to approve only funding for rural districts. States also need to make funding decisions quickly, as the federal government can claw back unobligated money before the program ends. The new law cuts about $1 trillion from Medicaid, primarily through stringent work requirements as well as reductions to how states can fund their Medicaid programs through provider taxes and state-directed payments. Rural hospitals rely heavily on Medicaid funding because many of the patients they care for are low income. But the administration noted that rural hospitals only account for 7 percent of overall Medicaid spending. According to a KFF analysis, federal Medicaid spending in rural areas is estimated to decline by $155 billion over a decade because of the law.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Meta upgrades Instagram safety features for teens
Meta has upgraded Instagram safety features for teens, the company said in an email obtained by NewsNation. Meta said in the email to The Hill's partner that the upgrades include teenagers being able to 'see options to view Safety Tips and block an account prominently displayed at the top of new DM [direct messaging] chats, as well as the date the person joined Instagram.' The company said those upgrades are intended 'to give teens more context about who they're chatting to and help them spot potential scammers.' As the use of social media has gone up over the last two decades, concerns about the mental health of teens and children have also risen dramatically. A survey of 2,035 American adults from 2023 found that 50 percent of parents who had children below 18 believed their child or children's mental health had deteriorated in the prior year due to social media use. In April, Meta announced fresh 'built-in protections' for its Instagram Teen Accounts, including needing parents to consent for children to use the accounts ahead of the age of 16 and going 'live' on the platform. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy earlier this year reiterated that in an interview that parents should regulate their children's social media usage to safeguard their mental health, especially at younger ages. 'Delaying the use of social media for your kid as long as possible is important,' Murthy told NBC News's Kristen Welker. 'The bottom line is these devices, these platforms, in particular, social media platforms, are having an effect on our children,' he added.
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 29, officials say
Advertisement Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting cease-fire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. In an open letter, 115 organizations, including major international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps, and Save the Children, said they were watching their colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away.' The letter blamed Israeli restrictions and 'massacres' at aid-distribution points. Witnesses, health officials, and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated. Advertisement The Israeli government's 'restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the letter said. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism, telling reporters that acute malnutrition centers in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies. He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 10 percent and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20 percent are malnourished, often severely. The UN health agency's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, said there were more than 30,000 children under 5 with acute malnutrition in Gaza and that the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under 5 have died so far this year. The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of 'echoing Hamas' propaganda.' It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 trucks are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN. That's an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed, and which entered during a six-week cease-fire earlier this year. The UN says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, ongoing fighting, and a breakdown of law and order. An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversy. Advertisement White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff was headed to Europe to meet with key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest cease-fire proposal and release of hostages. 'We want this cease-fire to happen as soon as possible, and we want these hostages to be released,' Leavitt said. An official familiar with the negotiations said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations. The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day cease-fire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. One of the overnight strikes hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant, and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualties. Shifa said another strike late Tuesday in Gaza City killed three children. A strike on an apartment in northern Gaza killed at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant, the ministry said. The military said it struck a Hamas operative. Advertisement In central Gaza, a strike in a densely populated part of the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed eight people and wounded 57, according to Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
