Federal Judge Blocks Medicaid Cuts for Planned Parenthood

Blue Press Journal – (Dec 2 ) U.S. Boston federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a law that would cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates in 22 states and the District of Columbia. The provision, part of a major Republican-backed bill, was designed to bar Medicaid funds from going to tax-exempt organizations that perform abortions and had received significant Medicaid funding in the previous fiscal year.

In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani stated that the group of state attorneys general who challenged the law were likely to prove it is unconstitutional. She argued the provision imposes a “retroactive condition” on the states’ participation in the Medicaid program, changing the rules after they had already agreed to them, which violates the U.S. Constitution’s Spending Clause. Judge Talwani also labeled the law “impermissibly ambiguous” and warned that its enforcement would likely reduce patients’ access to birth control and preventive screenings, which would ultimately drive up healthcare costs for the states.

This decision comes after a separate legal challenge by Planned Parenthood, where Judge Talwani had also blocked the law before a federal appeals court put that ruling on hold. The states involved in the current lawsuit argued that the federal government was overstepping its authority, as states have historically determined which providers qualify for Medicaid funding. A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood praised the judge’s decision, calling the law “unconstitutional and dangerous” and noting that at least 20 of its health centers have already closed since the defunding provision was briefly allowed to take effect. The judge has placed a seven-day hold on her injunction to give the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal the decision. Read more