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CV NEWS FEED // Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit against the state of Missouri, challenging a new law that blocks the organization from receiving Medicaid reimbursements.
Missouri Independent reported that Missouri’s Department of Social Services recently informed the state’s two Planned Parenthood affiliates that they would be removed from the MO HealthNet Medicaid program, effective August 28.
In response, Planned Parenthood claimed that the law, designed to prevent taxpayer funds from indirectly supporting abortions, violates federal Medicaid rules’ protection of patients’ rights to choose their healthcare providers.
While abortion has been banned in Missouri since 2022, the Missouri Independent reports that Planned Parenthood has continued to provide contraceptives to Missouri residents and that despite the impending loss of Medicaid funding, Planned Parenthood has pledged to continue operating by relying on private fundraising to offset costs.
The Missouri Independent shared that Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri have gone without Medicaid reimbursements for over two years, as previous efforts to implement similar restrictions through the state budget were challenged and overturned in court.
