JEFFERSON CITY — Planned Parenthood’s two Missouri affiliates said Monday they sued state officials in an attempt to block a new law that removes them from the Medicaid program.
Planned Parenthood Great Plains of Overland Park, Kansas, and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in ºüÀêÊÓƵ said they received letters in July informing them they would be removed from the state Medicaid program effective this week.
Despite the state’s action, Planned Parenthood said it would continue to treat Medicaid-eligible patients “as it holds the state accountable for its latest attempt to strip patients of their access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing†and more.
Planned Parenthood said its legal actions were filed Friday with the state Administrative Hearing Commission. The new state law barring the organization from Medicaid goes into effect Wednesday.
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Missouri banned nearly all abortions in June 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Supporters of the Planned Parenthood funding cutoff argued this year that even though no abortions are being performed in Missouri, money that goes to Planned Parenthood indirectly supports clinics in other states that allow abortions.
Opponents argued the measure would restrict low-income patients’ access to other health care services performed by the organization, such as cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, birth control, annual wellness exams and more.
Planned Parenthood said the legislation also violates federal Medicaid law, which guarantees every patient’s freedom to choose any willing and qualified provider.
“In a state with some of the worst Black maternal mortality rates and STI infection rates, people need more health care access, not less, to ensure deferred care doesn’t lead to more serious health conditions,†Richard Muniz, interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, said in a statement.
The Republican-controlled House earlier this year approved the defunding measure on a 106-48 vote.
The measure cleared the Senate in early April on a party-line vote after Democrats staged a 12-hour filibuster.
Hard-line Republicans this year tied passage of the Planned Parenthood defunding measure to a renewal of the Federal Reimbursement Allowance, a tax on medical providers that generates billions of dollars of funding for the state’s Medicaid program.
The Missouri Freedom Caucus wanted Gov. Mike Parson to sign the defunding measure before the splinter faction allowed action on the FRA renewal.
The FRA eventually did pass the Legislature, after Parson signed the defunding law on May 9.
The dispute could become moot if a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot is passed. Amendment 3 would restore abortion rights in Missouri and prevent the state from discriminating against reproductive health care providers.
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