August 14, 2015
The Obama Administration says that the recent action taken by Louisiana and Alabama to defund Planned Parenthood is in violation of federal law.
The two states have contacted their respective Planned Parenthood headquarters, notifying the clinics that their Medicaid provider agreement with the states will be terminated.
According to LifeNews, both states gave Planned Parenthood the required 30-days notice of agreement termination--an action that either party in the agreement could have made at any time.
However, the Obama Administration, through the federal Center for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS), has contacted Louisiana and Alabama, warning the states that their recent actions may place them in conflict with federal law.
Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Ben Wakana stated that “Longstanding Medicaid laws prohibit states from restricting individuals who have coverage through Medicaid from receiving care from a qualified provider. By restricting which provider a woman could choose to receive care from, women could lose access to critical preventive care, such as cancer screenings.”
The argument that defunding Planned Parenthood centers could result in loss of healthcare for women is one that Planned Parenthood itself has been making, still claiming it has done nothing wrong, according to Reuters, even after six videos have been released documenting Planned Parenthood doctors discussing the sale of fetal body parts.
Louisiana, however, is not backing down and has explained to the CMS the reason for its termination of the state’s Medicaid provider agreement with Planned Parenthood.
Mike Reed, a spokesman for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has issued a statement saying that “CMS reached out to DHH [the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals] after we canceled the Medicaid provider contract with Planned Parenthood. DHH explained to CMS why the state chose to exercise our right to cancel the contract without cause.”
Jindal, who spearheaded the movement to defund Planned Parenthood in his state, is one of 17 Republican presidential candidates.
