Latest news with #JudgeIndiraTalwani
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Most Planned Parenthood Clinics Are Ineligible for Medicaid Money After Court Ruling
Most Planned Parenthood clinics are now cut off from Medicaid funding, after a court ruling. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday night that allowed only a fraction of Planned Parenthood health centers to receive Medicaid payments for services like birth control, annual checkups and tests for sexually transmitted diseases. While the judge is open to extending the injunction to cover more clinics, for now most of them are not covered by the order. Planned Parenthood includes both the national group, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which advocates for abortion rights and does not provide medical care, and 47 stand-alone nonprofit organizations of varying sizes, called affiliates, that operate health centers according to state and federal laws. Judge Indira Talwani, of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts, said that in all, 10 affiliates were covered under her injunction, including Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, Planned Parenthood of Delaware, Planned Parenthood Greater Texas, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, and Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi. Planned Parenthood sued the Trump Administration on July 7 over a provision in the new domestic policy law that effectively bars its health clinics from receiving Medicaid payments for any medical services. The same day, the judge issued a 14-day restraining order that allowed virtually all Planned Parenthood affiliates to continue receiving Medicaid payments. That order has expired. The provision in the law applies to nonprofit health centers that provide abortions, but with a threshold that only Planned Parenthood health centers seem large enough to meet: entities that generated $800,000 or more in revenue from Medicaid payments in the 2023 fiscal year. Planned Parenthood Federation of America sued on behalf of all of the affiliates, arguing that the federal government had singled them out and punished them for associating with the national advocacy organization. It argued that the domestic policy law is unconstitutional because it violates the affiliates' First Amendments rights. Judge Talwani ruled on Monday that affiliates like the one in Utah that do not exceed the $800,000 revenue threshold should continue to receive Medicaid funding while the lawsuit makes its way through the courts. And she said that affiliates that are in states where abortion is illegal, and thus do not provide the procedure, should continue to receive Medicaid reimbursements as well. Both sides in the dispute criticized the judge's ruling. 'We strongly disagree with the court's decision,' said Andrew G. Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. 'States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care.' Planned Parenthood Federation of America said in a statement, 'While we're grateful that the court recognized the harm caused by this law, we're disappointed that not all members were granted the necessary relief today.' It added, 'There will be nothing short of a public health crisis if Planned Parenthood members are allowed to be 'defunded.''
Fox News
08-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Federal judge pauses Trump administration's Planned Parenthood defunding measure
A federal judge on Monday prevented the Trump administration from enforcing part of a massive tax and spending bill that would block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood health centers. The temporary restraining order by Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts blocks the "big, beautiful bill's" provision to defund the family planning provider. At issue is the provision in the new tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 that eliminates one year of Medicaid payments from Planned Parenthood health centers because the organization also provides abortions. A White House official told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is committed to ending the use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortions. The official noted that the administration's stance is a commonsense position that the overwhelming majority of Americans agree with. On Monday, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah filed a lawsuit in federal court. "The prohibition specifically targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member health care providers in order to punish them for lawful activity, namely advocating for and providing legal abortion access wholly outside the Medicaid program and without using any federal funds," the lawsuit states. If allowed to stand, Planned Parenthood said the provision would have "devastating consequences" for the more than 1 million patients who use Medicaid as their insurance at Planned Parenthood health centers across the country to get birth control and cancer screenings, among other services. Dominique Lee, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said the organization has a long history of fighting for sexual and reproductive freedom. "The Trump administration's hell-bent ambitions to close our clinics and abandon our patients won't stop us. Let me be crystal clear: We are not intimidated. We were built for this moment," she said. "Here in Massachusetts, we fight back, and we will never be bullied into turning our backs on health care or human rights."
