A coalition of 22 Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the US District Court for Massachusetts, challenging a Trump administration policy to cut Medicaid payments to major family planning providers, including Planned Parenthood, according to a report published by The Associated Press.
The disputed provision halts Medicaid reimbursements for one year for organisations that received over $800,000 in Medicaid funding in 2023, directly impacting services like contraception, cancer screenings, and STD testing, among others.
Although the legislation doesn’t name Planned Parenthood specifically, it overwhelmingly affects its network of nearly 600 clinics across 48 US states.
Impact on Communities
Underlining the consequences at a press conference, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, reportedly said, “This attack isn’t just about abortion. It is about denying vulnerable communities access to care they rely on every day.”
The states argue the language of the legisaltion is vague and that the law retaliates against Planned Parenthood’s pro‑abortion advocacy, thereby violating the free speech protections of the First Amendment.
The Democratic-led states have asked the court to declare the provision unconstitutional and halt its roll-out.
Healthcare Fallout and Legal Pushback
A federal judge on Monday ruled that Planned Parenthood clinics across the US must continue receiving Medicaid reimbursements, at least temporarily. Maine Family Planning, which also sued the Trump team earlier in the year, has warned that its reserves will only sustain care through October. According to the report, nearly half of its non-abortion patients rely on Medicaid.
William Tong, Connecticut’s Attorney General, flagged the effects on state budgets, and said, “Either we have to comply and violate Planned Parenthood’s constitutional rights and then push people to alternative providers that don’t exist, who don’t have the capacity to pick up the slack, or we have to spend upwards of $6 million or more to cover (those services),” as reported by the US-based news agency.
Department of Health Defends Policy
Meanwhile, the US Department of Health and Human Services, which has also been named in the lawsuit, defended the policy. “States should not be forced to fund organisations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care. It is a shame that these democrat attorney generals seek to undermine state flexibility and disregard longstanding concerns about accountability,” AP quoted spokesperson Andrew G. Nixon as saying.
The lawsuit builds on earlier legal cases, including one from Planned Parenthood, which had warned at the time that funding cuts could force closures of nearly one-third of its clinics, affecting an estimated total of over one million patients.
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