Missouri GOP try new approach to kicking Planned Parenthood off Medicaid
Two months after Missouri lawmakers’ attempt to ban Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood was blocked by the state’s Supreme Court, they’re trying again with a new plan.
By framing a new ban that was just passed by Missouri’s GOP-dominated legislature as a policy bill, GOP lawmakers are hoping the bill can avoid legal intervention.
But a new potential November ballot measure, with plenty of funding but awaiting enough signatures, seeks to overturn the state’s prohibition on abortion — which would render the Republican lawmakers’ attempts moot.
“You all know that November is coming, and this bill will not matter,” Democratic state Rep. Keri Ingle said on Wednesday. “Women of this state are going to come in full force and demand their rights back.”
Democrats caution that the bill, while having little effect on abortions in the state, would hurt services that are provided by Planned Parenthood for patients on Medicaid, such as birth control, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
“That’s what this bill does — it cuts off funding sources to facilities that are not providing abortions,” Ingle said. “What it’s doing is taking healthcare resources away from the women of your district and the state of Missouri.”
Some Republicans don’t like the organization’s presence in the state at all, and the bill emphasizes that.
“This is not healthcare,” Republican state Rep. Mazzie Christensen said. “These facilities should not be in our state and I’m sick and tired of hearing about it.”
Planned Parenthood has pledged to continue operating in the region.
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“Experts are clear: there are not enough other providers in the health care safety-net system to absorb Planned Parenthood’s patients,” the region’s Planned Parenthood said in a statement Wednesday. “At Planned Parenthood, we’ll continue to do everything we can to continue serving our patients — no matter what.”
The bill is set to go to Gov. Mike Parson’s (R-MO) desk and he is expected to sign it.
