Latest news with #DefundProvision
UPI
5 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Judge halts Planned Parenthood 'defund provision' in Trump's bill
A federal judge on Monday sided with Planned Parenthood in its lawsuit against a provision targeting the healthcare nonprofit in President Donald Trump's massive policy bill. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- A federal judge has awarded Planned Parenthood a win over the Trump administration, halting a provision in President Donald Trump's massive tax cuts and benefits bill that prevents patients from using Medicaid at its healthcare facilities. Judge Indira Talwani of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts issued her temporary restraining order Monday evening, ordering the Trump administration to take "all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and timeframes to Planned Parenthood Federation and its members." The ruling came hours after Planned Parenthood filed its lawsuit against a provision in Trump's policy bill that puts in place a one-year ban on Medicaid payments to healthcare nonprofits that provide abortion services while receiving more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in fiscal year 2023. The nonprofit family medical provider accused the Trump administration of unlawfully targeting it with the so-called defund provision. It said the provision's purpose was to specifically "punish" Planned Parenthood for advocating for and providing legal abortion access outside of the Medicaid program and without using federal funds. The lawsuit added that the provision was made specifically to target Planned Parenthood as those who would be affected by it are "almost entirely" its members. "And if there were any doubt, President Trump, Speaker [Mike] Johnson and their allies have been promising to 'defund Planned Parenthood' for years now," the lawsuit states. "That is what the Defund Provision does." According to the lawsuit, if the provision is allowed to stand, it would threaten the healthcare of more than 1 million Americans who use Medicaid as their insurance at Planned Parenthood centers for care ranging from birth control to cancer screenings. "The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government's spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment," the lawsuit states. "It does so not only because of Planned Parenthood members' long history of providing legal abortions to patients across the country, but also because of Planned Parenthood's unique role in advocating for policies to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortion." In a statement following the ruling, Planned Parenthood said it was "grateful" for the swift action. "In states across the country, providers have been forced to turn away patients who use Medicaid to get basic sexual and reproductive healthcare because President Trump and his backers in Congress passed a law to block them from going to Planned Parenthood," it said on Threads. "The fight is just beginning, and we look forward to our day in court!"
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Planned Parenthood Wins a Temporary Injunction Over Medicaid Funding
Planned Parenthood won a temporary injunction on Monday that allows its clinics to continue to receive Medicaid funding for services that are unrelated to abortion. The organization sued the Trump administration earlier on Monday over a new law that essentially bars Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving federal Medicaid payments, claiming that the legislation is an unconstitutional attack on Planned Parenthood's national organization and its locally run health care clinics. The lawsuit, which was filed in Federal District Court in Massachusetts, challenges part of the new domestic policy bill that President Trump signed on Friday. The temporary injunction expires in 14 days. Under the new law, some nonprofit health centers that provide abortions cannot be reimbursed by Medicaid for providing any other medical services, including birth control, annual checkups and tests for sexually transmitted infections. (The use of federal Medicaid dollars to cover the cost of abortions has long been illegal.) The new law applies only to nonprofit organizations that generated $800,000 or more in revenue from Medicaid payments in the 2023 fiscal year. Because few abortion providers are large enough to meet that threshold, the lawsuit argues that the law is intended to target Planned Parenthood for its advocacy of abortion rights, violating the group's freedom of speech. 'The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government's spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment,' Planned Parenthood said in its lawsuit. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Axios
6 days ago
- Health
- Axios
Planned Parenthood sues Trump over "defund" provision
Planned Parenthood on Monday sued the Trump administration over a one-year funding ban in the Republican tax and spending package, saying it violates the reproductive health group's constitutional rights. Why it matters: Planned Parenthood has called the provision a "backdoor abortion ban" and said it could lead to the closure of some 200 affiliated clinics nationwide. Driving the news: The just-passed reconciliation bill includes a provision that effectively cut off Planned Parenthood and other large organizations that offer abortions from federal Medicaid funding for one year. Republicans lawmakers originally pressed for a 10-year ban but dialed back the duration while the Senate parliamentarian reviewed whether the prohibition was in order. The lawsuit also comes after the Supreme Court late last month ruled Medicaid patients don't have a right to freely choose their medical provider, in a South Carolina case that centered around state funding for Planned Parenthood. What they're saying: "The Defund Provision is a naked attempt to leverage the government's spending power to attack and penalize Planned Parenthood and impermissibly single it out for unfavorable treatment," the organization said in the filing in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. "There is no legitimate justification for the statute; rather, the true design of the Defund Provision is simply to express disapproval of, attack, and punish Planned Parenthood," the group stated in the complaint. More than 1 million Medicaid patients annually access health services through Planned Parenthood affiliates, they said. The suit names HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, as well as the health department, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and his agency.
