Team Obama Warns States About Ending Medicaid Funds for Planned Parenthood

The Obama administration has notified two states that took steps to halt Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood Federation of America that they may be in conflict with federal law.

The law requires that Medicaid beneficiaries may obtain services, including family planning, from any qualified provider. States that terminate their Medicaid-provider agreements with Planned Parenthood restrict access by not permitting recipients to get services from providers of their choice, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

A Planned Parenthood clinic in Vista, Calif. The Obama

 administration has notified states that steps to halt 

Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood Federation of 

America may be in conflict with federal law. 

Photo: mike blake/Reuters

The action comes as a sixth video was released by the Center for Medical Progress, an antiabortion group, this one showing a former employee of a tissue-procurement company saying fetal remains were taken from women and donated for research without the women’s consent.

“The video released today shows someone who has never worked for Planned Parenthood making false and outrageous claims, without any evidence to back them up,” said Eric Ferrero, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood, in a statement.

Here is the latest Video

Three states said last week they will block hundreds of thousands of dollars from Planned Parenthood: Alabama and Louisiana moved to block funds under Medicaid, the state-federal health program for the poor, while New Hampshire’s Executive Council is blocking state funding, so its move isn’t subject to federal oversight. Planned Parenthood currently doesn’t perform abortions in Louisiana but does in the two other states.

Planned Parenthood said it is evaluating its options in the states that moved to defund clinics. It added it now is watching for potential defunding measures in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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