Missouri lawmakers are once again trying to block Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Republican lawmakers in Missouri are once again trying to block federal health care spending from the state’s Planned Parenthood clinics. This comes weeks after the Missouri Supreme Court blocked a previous attempt to end that funding.
The Republican-led House on Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would prohibit Medicaid funds from going to family planning programs. Planned Parenthood is already prohibited by state law from providing abortions in nearly all circumstances.
Republican lawmakers argued that public funds should not go to the organization, which also provides abortions in other states.
“If you make a deal with an organization like Planned Parenthood, you end up subsidizing abortion services, even if they are in other states,” bill sponsor Rep. Cody Smith said Wednesday. This was stated in the floor discussion.
House Democrats said the ban would limit the choice of where low-income residents receive health care, including cancer screenings and birth control. Democratic Rep. Patty Lewis said that could mean cutting off access to those services completely in some areas of the state.
“Missouri is defunding family planning services to make them more affordable and accessible to voters,” Lewis said.
The bill needs another approval vote in the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate.
A similar effort to block Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding comes after Democrats attempted to amend a bill that would allow exceptions for rape and incest under the state’s current ban on nearly all abortions. As a result, it stalled in the Republican-led Senate earlier this month. In 2022, Missouri will ban abortions except for medical emergencies.
Lawmakers have previously waived some federal funding to avoid requirements that clinics be reimbursed when low-income patients visit their offices for birth control, cancer screenings, and other preventive care. By doing so, we were able to block funding for Planned Parenthood in fiscal year 2019. Missouri instead used state money to pay for those services.
But the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that lawmakers could make policy changes through the state budget, rather than individual bills, forcing the state to reimburse Planned Parenthood for health care provided to Medicaid patients. The court ruled that it violated the constitution.
Earlier this month, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected further attempts by Republican state officials to block taxpayer funds from going to the family planning system, citing a failed state legal appeal. In response, Republican lawmakers are acting with even more urgency this year.
The high court’s decision upheld a trial judge’s ruling that found the 2022 funding bill violated the state constitution. The Supreme Court said the law stands because Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office failed to appeal claims that the law violates equal protection rights.
Also pending is an effort to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. Supporters are currently working to collect more than 170,000 voter signatures by May 5 for the November ballot.