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Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Planned Parenthood provides basic health care. If they close, where will many women go?
When the Trump administration suddenly froze federal funding to more than 100 Planned Parenthood clinics this spring, the organization's Michigan branch was already deep into hard discussions about its finances. 'The leadership team and our board had been scenario planning for months to try to fill those gaps to see how we could continue providing care,' said Ashlea Phenicie, chief external affairs officer of Planned Parenthood of Michigan. The only option was clear. Michigan's 14 Planned Parenthood clinics serve tens of thousands of women. In order to save clinics around the state that were either busier or in places where women had few other options, the team would have to close multiple clinics, including the only one in the state's Upper Peninsula, a large, isolated and mostly rural area surrounded by a stretch of Lake Michigan. In Ann Arbor, home of Michigan State University, the city's two clinics would be combined. It's a reality playing out across the country. At least 20 Planned Parenthood clinics have closed or will close within the year. For decades, the health care organization has been squeezed by the same pressures choking nearly all U.S. providers –– low insurance reimbursement rates, blocked Medicaid expansion, understaffing and rising costs of providing medical care that have forced hospitals and health clinic closures throughout the country. Uniquely, Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that serves more than 2 million patients nationwide every year, many of them uninsured, underinsured or who qualify for Medicaid, has also become the target of pointed funding cuts that started under the first Trump administration. 'What is different this time around is that it's much more sweeping. It's a deeper and broader cut that will affect both more clinics and more people,' said Farzana Kapadia, a professor of epidemiology and population health at the New York University School of Global Public Health. In March, the Trump administration withheld funding by excluding many Planned Parenthood clinics from the Title X family planning program, a federal grant program that funds family planning and reproductive health care. Then, in late May, House Republicans delivered another enormous blow, voting to end funding for Planned Parenthood as part of the reconciliation bill. Federal law already restricts federal funds from being used for abortion, except in cases of incest, rape or if a mother's life is in danger, through a law called the Hyde Amendment. But if passed, the reconciliation bill would cut off Medicaid reimbursement to any nonprofit that primarily offers family planning or reproductive health services, provides abortions beyond the Hyde Amendment exceptions and received more than $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements in 2024. As a nationwide organization, Planned Parenthood does all three. If the bill passes in the Senate, it would block Planned Parenthood clinics from billing Medicaid for any health services at all, including cancer screenings, wellness exams and birth control. It's unclear if the new legislation would apply to Planned Parenthood nationally or on a state-by-state basis. Over half of Planned Parenthood patients are covered by publicly funded health programs like Medicaid and in 2023, about 36% of all Title X services were provided by Planned Parenthood clinics. Eliminating these sources of funding would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood's care costs every year. Targeting federal funding for any type of care for Planned Parenthood clinics is a way opponents of abortion rights can attempt to shut down clinics that do provide abortion, even if they also offer other care. Phenicie said Republican lawmakers appear to understand that cutting off Planned Parenthood from Title X and Medicaid reimbursement will put the clinics that perform abortion in peril, even if these funds can't cover the procedures. The slashed funds could affect all Planned Parenthood clinics whether they offer abortion services or not. 'They know so much of our patient base is on Medicaid or needs Title X to pay for their care, they know that cutting this off will allow them to cut off access to abortion and they are willing to make that trade,' she said. Before the cuts, Planned Parenthood was already operating on thin margins. Now, clinics are struggling to operate at a loss. 'The numbers are so devastating that there are really no options other than closing some centers and consolidating others, and then investing in our virtual health centers that can serve people across the state,' Phenicie said. At least 1 in 3 women say they have gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic for care, as well as 1 in 10 men, according to a recent KFF Health poll. Nearly half of Black women have gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic, the poll found. Abortions, the main reason the Trump administration has ended support for the clinics, account for just 4% of the services Planned Parenthood provides, according to a 2024 annual report. The vast majority of Planned Parenthood's services involve basic health care for women, including diagnosing and treating urinary tract and yeast infections and screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer. Some locations offer vaccination against HPV, hepatitis B, Covid and influenza. More than half of care is related to testing for sexually transmitted infections and treatment. Another 25% is providing access to contraception, often at low or no cost. Cancer screenings and other non-abortion services make up 18%, the report showed. Those important medical services haven't swayed opponents of the clinics. In January, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a bill that sought to ban Planned Parenthood from federal funding in the same ways the federal reconciliation bill would. The bill is called the Defund Planned Parenthood Act. 'My commitment to protecting life isn't just personal, it's rooted in both science and principle. Life begins at conception, and I've spent my time in the Senate fighting to protect the right to life,' Paul said in a press release. About 40% of Planned Parenthood's funding comes from government health care reimbursements and grants. Many locations offer a sliding scale payment option for people who can't afford health care. That money comes, in part, from government programs that are now being cut. 'Cutting this funding is really about cutting access to care for people who are not insured or who are underinsured to allow for tax breaks for people who can afford their medical care,' NYU's Kapadia said. Wendy Stark, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, said that even when a patient has private insurance, 'the reimbursement rates are just not meeting the costs of primary care. 'The U.S. health care system pays a tiny amount of health care dollars into primary and preventative care,' Stark said. 'We are sitting in a micro version of that.' Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood announced it was selling the building that housed its only Manhattan location. Planned Parenthood locations are also shuttering throughout the Midwest and in other states that have historically voted in favor of abortion rights, including Vermont. In late May, Planned Parenthood announced it will close four clinics in Minnesota within a year. The state was the first to codify the right to abortion into law after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, but only one of the closing clinics performed abortions. Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa, including one in Ames, where Iowa State University is located, will also be shuttered. Four Illinois clinics, none which performed abortions, stopped operating in March. In April, three locations closed and two were consolidated in Michigan, where the right to abortion is enshrined into state law. Two Utah locations closed in May after losing a significant amount of funding as a result of the Title X freeze. 'We are subsidizing almost every visit we do, even with insurance,' Stark said. 'We also have a great deal of our patients who come who do not have insurance.' The decision to sell the Manhattan clinic was a strategic but difficult decision, she said. The revenue from the sale could help keep other clinics in the state operating. Both the patients and staff of the Manhattan clinic can be absorbed by Planned Parenthood's other New York City locations, which can minimize the impact the closure will have. 'When we consolidate in certain locations, we look at the whole area. Can we funnel patients to our next closest health center, are there other clinics that patients can be sent to?' Stark said, adding that this is more difficult to do in rural areas that already have extremely minimal health care options. 'If we face further erosion of our finances, we will have to make more hard decisions,' she said. Several state-level laws banned Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X funds in the decade preceding the sweeping federal exclusions. Robin Marty, the executive director of WAWC Healthcare, formerly West Alabama Women's Center, in Tuscaloosa, said these states can provide a picture of what health care may look like in states that have more recently faced Planned Parenthood closures. 'We exist as kind of a lesson to people of what resources are like if there is not a Planned Parenthood,' she said. Planned Parenthood operates just one brick-and-mortar clinic in Alabama, in Birmingham, but offers telehealth throughout the state. There are just two in Louisiana and one in the Florida Panhandle. There are no physical clinics in Mississippi, which has the highest teen birth rate in the nation. Alabama and Louisiana rank in the top seven, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Mississippi also has the highest maternal mortality rate. Louisiana comes in second. Alabama is fourth. 'There aren't places for people to go for free birth control or STI screenings or maternal care,' she said, referring to sexually transmitted infections. WAWC Healthcare is one of the only providers in Alabama, outside of federally qualified health centers, which are run by states or counties, that does. Already, Marty said, the clinic relies heavily on nongovernmental grants in the absence of access to Title X, though the clinic does accept Medicaid. 'Every time I apply for a grant, I know I have only about a 10% chance of getting it, but I do it anyway because that's the only way my patients can get care,' she said. Other than grants, 'we rely on donors who each donate about $50 each time we contact them.' Marty said other clinics that provide some of the same services as Planned Parenthood, which are already operating on razor-thin margins, if not at a loss, will be further strained by closures. This strain will be passed onto patients. 'You are talking about individuals who are living at or below the poverty level who already can't afford health care on their own and then you are eliminating a major source of their health care,' Kapadia said. The GOP megabill, which blocks Planned Parenthood from being reimbursed with Medicaid dollars, among other Medicaid cuts, is awaiting its fate in the Senate this week. For now, Title X funding is frozen for Planned Parenthoods in 20 states. If the 'Big Beautiful Bill' passes, another 200 of the roughly 600 Planned Parenthoods will be in danger, according to Planned Parenthood. When Title X funding was cut off to Michigan Planned Parenthood between 2019 and 2021, the number of people seeking preventative care at its locations dropped 75%, Phenicie said. Although there are other health centers that can pay for visits using Title X funds, they could not absorb the patients Planned Parenthood could no longer see, she added. In the month leading up to this year's closures, Planned Parenthood Michigan kept the four closing clinics open to honor all the appointments that had already been made, and spent hours trying to help patients line up care at other clinics or through telehealth with Planned Parenthood. 'Even if they would like to continue care, if they can't be covered under Title X and they can't use Medicaid, their options will be limited,' Phenicie said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
a day ago
- Health
- NBC News
Planned Parenthood provides basic health care. If they close, where will many women go?
When the Trump administration suddenly froze federal funding to more than 100 Planned Parenthood clinics this spring, the organization's Michigan branch was already deep into hard discussions about its finances. 'The leadership team and our board had been scenario planning for months to try to fill those gaps to see how we could continue providing care,' said Ashlea Phenicie, chief external affairs officer of Planned Parenthood of Michigan. The only option was clear. Michigan's 14 Planned Parenthood clinics serve tens of thousands of women. In order to save clinics around the state that were either busier or in places where women had few other options, the team would have to close multiple clinics, including the only one in the state's Upper Peninsula, a large, isolated and mostly rural area surrounded by a stretch of Lake Michigan. In Ann Arbor, home of Michigan State University, the city's two clinics would be combined. It's a reality playing out across the country. At least 20 Planned Parenthood clinics have closed or will close within the year. For decades, the health care organization has been squeezed by the same pressures choking nearly all U.S. providers –– low insurance reimbursement rates, blocked Medicaid expansion, understaffing and rising costs of providing medical care that have forced hospitals and health clinic closures throughout the country. Uniquely, Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that serves more than 2 million patients nationwide every year, many of them uninsured, underinsured or who qualify for Medicaid, has also become the target of pointed funding cuts that started under the first Trump administration. 'What is different this time around is that it's much more sweeping. It's a deeper and broader cut that will affect both more clinics and more people,' said Farzana Kapadia, a professor of epidemiology and population health at the New York University School of Global Public Health. In March, the Trump administration withheld funding by excluding many Planned Parenthood clinics from the Title X family planning program, a federal grant program that funds family planning and reproductive health care. Then, in late May, House Republicans delivered another enormous blow, voting to end funding for Planned Parenthood as part of the reconciliation bill. Federal law already restricts federal funds from being used for abortion, except in cases of incest, rape or if a mother's life is in danger, through a law called the Hyde Amendment. But if passed, the reconciliation bill would cut off Medicaid reimbursement to any nonprofit that primarily offers family planning or reproductive health services, provides abortions beyond the Hyde Amendment exceptions and received more than $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements in 2024. As a nationwide organization, Planned Parenthood does all three. If the bill passes in the Senate, it would block Planned Parenthood clinics from billing Medicaid for any health services at all, including cancer screenings, wellness exams and birth control. It's unclear if the new legislation would apply to Planned Parenthood nationally or on a state-by-state basis. Over half of Planned Parenthood patients are covered by publicly funded health programs like Medicaid and in 2023, about 36% of all Title X services were provided by Planned Parenthood clinics. Eliminating these sources of funding would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood's care costs every year. Targeting federal funding for any type of care for Planned Parenthood clinics is a way opponents of abortion rights can attempt to shut down clinics that do provide abortion, even if they also offer other care. Phenicie said Republican lawmakers appear to understand that cutting off Planned Parenthood from Title X and Medicaid reimbursement will put the clinics that perform abortion in peril, even if these funds can't cover the procedures. The slashed funds could affect all Planned Parenthood clinics whether they offer abortion services or not. 'They know so much of our patient base is on Medicaid or needs Title X to pay for their care, they know that cutting this off will allow them to cut off access to abortion and they are willing to make that trade,' she said. Before the cuts, Planned Parenthood was already operating on thin margins. Now, clinics are struggling to operate at a loss. 'The numbers are so devastating that there are really no options other than closing some centers and consolidating others, and then investing in our virtual health centers that can serve people across the state,' Phenicie said. Clinics provide basic health care At least 1 in 3 women say they have gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic for care, as well as 1 in 10 men, according to a recent KFF Health poll. Nearly half of Black women have gone to a Planned Parenthood clinic, the poll found. Abortions, the main reason the Trump administration has ended support for the clinics, account for just 4% of the services Planned Parenthood provides, according to a 2024 annual report. The vast majority of Planned Parenthood's services involve basic health care for women, including diagnosing and treating urinary tract and yeast infections and screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer. Some locations offer vaccination against HPV, hepatitis B, Covid and influenza. More than half of care is related to testing for sexually transmitted infections and treatment. Another 25% is providing access to contraception, often at low or no cost. Cancer screenings and other non-abortion services make up 18%, the report showed. Those important medical services haven't swayed opponents of the clinics. In January, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a bill that sought to ban Planned Parenthood from federal funding in the same ways the federal reconciliation bill would. The bill is called the Defund Planned Parenthood Act. 'My commitment to protecting life isn't just personal, it's rooted in both science and principle. Life begins at conception, and I've spent my time in the Senate fighting to protect the right to life,' Paul said in a press release. Closing in states that support abortion rights About 40% of Planned Parenthood's funding comes from government health care reimbursements and grants. Many locations offer a sliding scale payment option for people who can't afford health care. That money comes, in part, from government programs that are now being cut. 'Cutting this funding is really about cutting access to care for people who are not insured or who are underinsured to allow for tax breaks for people who can afford their medical care,' NYU's Kapadia said. Wendy Stark, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, said that even when a patient has private insurance, 'the reimbursement rates are just not meeting the costs of primary care. 'The U.S. health care system pays a tiny amount of health care dollars into primary and preventative care,' Stark said. 'We are sitting in a micro version of that.' Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood announced it was selling the building that housed its only Manhattan location. Planned Parenthood locations are also shuttering throughout the Midwest and in other states that have historically voted in favor of abortion rights, including Vermont. In late May, Planned Parenthood announced it will close four clinics in Minnesota within a year. The state was the first to codify the right to abortion into law after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, but only one of the closing clinics performed abortions. Four of the six Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa, including one in Ames, where Iowa State University is located, will also be shuttered. Four Illinois clinics, none which performed abortions, stopped operating in March. In April, three locations closed and two were consolidated in Michigan, where the right to abortion is enshrined into state law. Two Utah locations closed in May after losing a significant amount of funding as a result of the Title X freeze. 'We are subsidizing almost every visit we do, even with insurance,' Stark said. 'We also have a great deal of our patients who come who do not have insurance.' The decision to sell the Manhattan clinic was a strategic but difficult decision, she said. The revenue from the sale could help keep other clinics in the state operating. Both the patients and staff of the Manhattan clinic can be absorbed by Planned Parenthood's other New York City locations, which can minimize the impact the closure will have. 'When we consolidate in certain locations, we look at the whole area. Can we funnel patients to our next closest health center, are there other clinics that patients can be sent to?' Stark said, adding that this is more difficult to do in rural areas that already have extremely minimal health care options. 'If we face further erosion of our finances, we will have to make more hard decisions,' she said. Straining a fragile health care system Several state-level laws banned Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X funds in the decade preceding the sweeping federal exclusions. Robin Marty, the executive director of WAWC Healthcare, formerly West Alabama Women's Center, in Tuscaloosa, said these states can provide a picture of what health care may look like in states that have more recently faced Planned Parenthood closures. 'We exist as kind of a lesson to people of what resources are like if there is not a Planned Parenthood,' she said. Planned Parenthood operates just one brick-and-mortar clinic in Alabama, in Birmingham, but offers telehealth throughout the state. There are just two in Louisiana and one in the Florida Panhandle. There are no physical clinics in Mississippi, which has the highest teen birth rate in the nation. Alabama and Louisiana rank in the top seven, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Mississippi also has the highest maternal mortality rate. Louisiana comes in second. Alabama is fourth. 'There aren't places for people to go for free birth control or STI screenings or maternal care,' she said, referring to sexually transmitted infections. WAWC Healthcare is one of the only providers in Alabama, outside of federally qualified health centers, which are run by states or counties, that does. Already, Marty said, the clinic relies heavily on nongovernmental grants in the absence of access to Title X, though the clinic does accept Medicaid. 'Every time I apply for a grant, I know I have only about a 10% chance of getting it, but I do it anyway because that's the only way my patients can get care,' she said. Other than grants, 'we rely on donors who each donate about $50 each time we contact them.' Marty said other clinics that provide some of the same services as Planned Parenthood, which are already operating on razor-thin margins, if not at a loss, will be further strained by closures. This strain will be passed onto patients. 'You are talking about individuals who are living at or below the poverty level who already can't afford health care on their own and then you are eliminating a major source of their health care,' Kapadia said. The GOP megabill, which blocks Planned Parenthood from being reimbursed with Medicaid dollars, among other Medicaid cuts, is awaiting its fate in the Senate this week. For now, Title X funding is frozen for Planned Parenthoods in 20 states. If the 'Big Beautiful Bill' passes, another 200 of the roughly 600 Planned Parenthoods will be in danger, according to Planned Parenthood. When Title X funding was cut off to Michigan Planned Parenthood between 2019 and 2021, the number of people seeking preventative care at its locations dropped 75%, Phenicie said. Although there are other health centers that can pay for visits using Title X funds, they could not absorb the patients Planned Parenthood could no longer see, she added. In the month leading up to this year's closures, Planned Parenthood Michigan kept the four closing clinics open to honor all the appointments that had already been made, and spent hours trying to help patients line up care at other clinics or through telehealth with Planned Parenthood. 'Even if they would like to continue care, if they can't be covered under Title X and they can't use Medicaid, their options will be limited,' Phenicie said.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Democratic lawmakers in Montana urge defense of Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood signage is seen in the Financial District neighborhood of Manhattan on April 16, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Democratic lawmakers in Montana asked the state's congressional delegation Tuesday to defend 'affordable health care access' for Montanans and oppose efforts to 'defund' Planned Parenthood and 'slash Medicaid' in the reconciliation bill under consideration in Washington, D.C. The letter, signed by Democratic legislative leaders in the Montana House and Senate plus 45 other legislators, said Planned Parenthood is a 'trusted, irreplaceable part' of the state's health care system, and it has served communities for more than 55 years. 'We write in support of the thousands of Montanans who rely on Planned Parenthood health centers, especially those who live in rural, remote and medically-underserved communities where Planned Parenthood is the only provider who can care for patients, many of which are Medicaid recipients,' said the letter. The lead signers to the letter were Rep. Katie Sullivan of Missoula and Sen. Pat Flowers of Belgrade, minority leaders in the House and Senate, respectively. The massive tax and spending bill is in the U.S. House, and Republican Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday it still has 'a number of loose ends to tie up,' according to States Newsroom's Washington, D.C. bureau. The letter from Montana Democrats was directed to U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy and U.S. Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing, all Republicans. Daines, Sheehy and Zinke did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment. Downing, however, said many Americans don't want federal money to pay for abortions. 'For too long, the U.S. government has subsidized abortions at Planned Parenthood with complete disregard for the sincerely held beliefs of millions of Americans,' said Congressman Downing in an email from his office. 'If the brutality of abortion should exist in this country, may it never receive another penny of federal funding.' Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana describes Planned Parenthood as the largest provider of sexual and reproductive health care in Montana, with four health centers in the state and telehealth services for thousands of patients, including Medicaid recipients. The advocacy group said Planned Parenthood is like any other health care provider, with health centers reimbursed through health programs like Medicaid: 'Medicaid funds are not used for abortion other than in rare exceptions due to the Hyde Amendment.' The federal law known as the Hyde Amendment disallows federal funds for abortion except to save the life of the parent or for pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest. Mary Sullivan, with Planned Parenthood Advocates, said language in the bill is specifically pointed at Planned Parenthood, but because the Hyde Amendment already restricts funding for abortion, the effect would be a limit on other services. 'Really, where they're drawing the line is birth control, cancer screenings, STI (sexually transmitted infection) screenings,' Sullivan said. The bill (Sec. 44126) identifies entities prohibited from receiving funds as nonprofit organizations that receive more than $1 million and are 'primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care.' Sullivan, of Planned Parenthood Advocates, said if health care centers were forced to close, many patients would have nowhere to turn, and the health care landscape in Montana is 'already overwhelmed.' In a statement, Quinn Leighton, with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, said the organization would continue to work to ensure care remains available and affordable for Montanans. 'Every Montanan, no matter where they live or how much money they have, deserves access to essential, affordable health care,' Leighton said. A 2025 public opinion report about abortion and reproductive health policy said respondents generally opposed 'a number of actions' the Trump administration could take, including taking away funds from Planned Parenthood. 'Opposition crosses party lines — with about four in 10 Trump voters or more in opposition (including 63% who oppose taking away funds from Planned Parenthood),' said the report from PerryUndem, which describes itself as a nonpartisan public opinion research firm. In the letter from Democrats, the legislators said the consequences of 'defunding' Planned Parenthood 'could be catastrophic.' 'No other provider would be able to fill the gap left by Planned Parenthood, and making cuts to Medicaid would put rural hospitals and medical centers in jeopardy,' the letter said. A separate letter Monday organized by the State Innovation Exchange's Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council described the prohibition in the federal bill as the latest in 'politically motivated attacks' against Planned Parenthood and abortion providers. The letter was signed by 562 lawmakers from all 50 states, according to the council.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pending cuts to Medicaid to impact Planned Parenthood in Hampton Roads
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – Planned Parenthood have reached a historic high nationwide, all while President Trump is still aiming to defund the national healthcare provider. House Republicans recently unleashed their plan to cut Medicaid spending and are working to expedite cuts, as they aim for a vote before Memorial Day. While this doesn't impact abortion procedures, as the Hyde Amendment — which prevents the use of federal dollars on elective abortions within the Medicaid program — is still in place, the decision would leave millions of low-income and disabled families or individuals without health care. 'We know that Republicans in Congress are trying to fast track this because they know it is incredibly unpopular,' said Jamie Lockhart, executive director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. 'This proposal is a direct attack on the health care of thousands of Virginians. It's not about Planned Parenthood. It's about whether people can keep getting cancer screenings, STI testing, contraception and other essential care.' The Commonwealth has six Planned Parenthood locations, serving approximately 25,000 patients per year. Two of those locations are in Hampton Roads. That excludes Telehealth and out-of-state patients. 'We know that when health care is not covered, people either have to pay exorbitant amounts for that care,' she said, 'or they just delay or deny access to the care that they need.' Within the last 24 hours, the Congressional Budget Office estimate showed that defunding Planned Parenthood could cost taxpayers $300 million. 'It is the only health care provision in this reconciliation package that would actually cost taxpayers money,' Lockhart said. 'We need to make sure Congress sees this for what it is, a dangerous, deeply unpopular, catastrophic attack on health care. We are asking our supporters to reach out to their member of Congress to tell them to protect Medicaid and Planned Parenthood Health Center patients access to care.' 10 On Your side will continue to follow this story with any new developments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
08-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Some congressional Republicans oppose defunding Planned Parenthood in Trump's ‘big, beautiful' bill
Some centrist Republican lawmakers have signaled opposition to including provisions defunding Planned Parenthood in sweeping legislation intended to advance President Trump's second-term agenda. A GOP aide familiar with the House deliberations surrounding Trump's 'one, big beautiful' bill told the Post that moderate members of the caucus are opposed to language directing cuts to the abortion and reproductive healthcare provider that other lawmakers hope to include in the massive reconciliation package. Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) were among the lawmakers that voiced opposition to Planned Parenthood cuts during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that included House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), NOTUS reported on Wednesday. Advertisement 3 Some centrist Republican lawmakers appear to oppose provisions defunding Planned Parenthood. REUTERS 'I think there's other policy areas that we need to focus on,' Fitzpatrick told the outlet ahead of the meeting, noting that he planned to bring up the rumblings around cuts targeting abortion providers. 'We need simplicity in this bill,' he added. Advertisement Lawler expressed concern that potential cuts to the nonprofit and conservative lightning rod would impact the ability of women to access health care. 'Obviously, Planned Parenthood does provide a lot of services outside of abortion-related services,' the congressman noted, telling NOTUS that he is 'not for taking away people's health care.' A Kiggans spokesperson told the outlet that the congresswoman 'is proudly pro-life and firmly opposes any federal funding for abortion.' '[Kiggans] attended a closed-door policy discussion with House leadership and Republican colleagues focused on Medicaid reform within the broader reconciliation process. The Congresswoman supports thoughtful, targeted Medicaid reforms that strengthen the program, preserve its integrity, and ensure it serves those who it was originally intended to help,' the spokesperson added. Advertisement 3 Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) was reportedly one of the lawmakers opposed to Planned Parenthood cuts. AP Meanwhile, Johnson contended that defunding Planned Parenthood 'was not on our agenda.' The House speaker, however, told a conservative audience last week that 'big abortion' would be targeted for cuts in the megabill. 'In the weeks ahead, the House is gonna be working on the one big, beautiful bill,' Johnson said during a speech at the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America gala. 'We're absolutely making it clear to everybody that this bill is going to redirect funds away from big abortion and to federally qualified health centers.' Advertisement 3 'We're absolutely making it clear to everybody that this bill is going to redirect funds away from big abortion,' House Speaker Mike Johnson said. Michael Brochstein/ZUMA / The Hyde Amendment already prevents taxpayer dollars from being directly used to cover the cost of abortions. Federal money Planned Parenthood receives to cover other services – through the Medicaid program, for example – could be targeted in an effort to indirectly deliver a blow to the abortion provider's bottom line. The reconciliation bill is expected to include provisions extending Trump's first-term tax cuts, increasing funding for border security and raising the nation's debt ceiling. As part of the scramble to pass the legislation by the Fourth of July, House lawmakers are looking for ways to cut between $800 million to $1.5 trillion in spending to offset the cost of Trump's priorities.
