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Trump administration can continue to withhold Medicaid Funding comes from family planning A federal appeals court ruled against some medical centers that offer abortions and others that do, while a coalition of mostly Democratic states challenged the cuts.
Tuesday’s decision in one of multiple lawsuits filed after President Donald Trump Tax relief and spending reduction legislation signed into law in July provides for Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers who earn more than $800,000 in 2023. The lawsuits include two lawsuits filed in Massachusetts by 21 states, the District of Columbia and Planned Parenthood itself; maine Through the network of medical clinics there.
In the Massachusetts case, a federal judge issued preliminary injunctions in favor of Planned Parenthood in July and in early December in favor of a coalition of states. But the Court of Appeal overturned the first order on December 12 and stayed the second order on Tuesday.
“While we are disappointed with the court’s decision, we remain committed to holding the federal government accountable and ensuring that vulnerable Californians have access to the health care they need,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit in Maine has been dismissed in response to demands from the clinics that challenged the cuts.
Planned Parenthood of Maine, which operates 18 clinics in many poor and rural areas of the state, closed its primary care operations in October due to a loss of funding.
In August, a federal judge ruled not to restore funding while the lawsuit was ongoing, and the clinic appealed. But earlier this month, the network notified the court that it would end the lawsuit.
“As the Trump administration dismantles the nation’s health care system, we remain focused on providing high-quality care to our patients, especially those in rural Maine,” CEO George Hill said in a statement Wednesday. “While our lawsuit will not proceed, we will not waver in our commitment to our patients and advocating for the health care system Mainers need and deserve.”
this Center for Reproductive RightsThe agency representing Planned Parenthood in Maine said Wednesday that clinic leaders have decided to focus resources on treating patients.
“The Trump administration, on the other hand, does not care about patients or how the ‘Beautiful Big Bill’ will make health care more difficult in this country,” the center said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood, which did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday, said nearly half of its patients rely on Medicaid for health care except for abortions, which are not yet covered by the federal insurance program that serves millions of low-income and disabled people. At least eight states have directed state funds to reimburse Planned Parenthood for lost funds, including Connecticut, where Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced $8.5 million for Planned Parenthood of southern New England.
Connecticut Attorney General William Wong said Tuesday’s court decision made such action even more important. He called the ruling a “disappointing setback” but noted the legal process was still a long way off.
“This defunds essential preventive health care, including cancer screenings, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to work to protect access to essential health care and keep partisan politics out of doctors’ offices.”
Department of Health and Human Services press secretary Emily Hilliard said Wednesday that the department would not comment on the lawsuit but added, “We remain committed to protecting the integrity of the Medicaid program to ensure full compliance with the law.”
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Associated Press writers David Collins in Hartford, Conn., Ed White in Detroit and Julie Carr Smith in Columbus, Ohio, contributed.