SCOTUS to hear Planned Parenthood case over Medicaid funding

Modern Healthcare – Thursday, December 19, 2024
By Hayley Desilva

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case on whether South Carolina can end Medicaid funding to a local Planned Parenthood affiliate because the organization provides abortion services.

The case’s outcome could potentially limit reproductive healthcare services and cut funding for Planned Parenthood or similar providers in other states seeking to restrict access to abortion services.

In 2018, South Carolina sought to remove Planned Parenthood South Atlantic from its list of Medicaid-eligible providers. The organization and Julie Edwards, a Medicaid and Planned Parenthood South Atlantic patient, successfully sued, alleging the move was a violation of the Medicaid Act, which allowed recipients to choose their own provider.

Robert Kerr, director of the state’s Health and Human Services Department, filed multiple appeals with the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which consistently ruled the state could not terminate funding to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. The high court previously declined to take up the dispute.

Three months after the most recent appellate court ruling in March, Kerr appealed the case to the Supreme Court, arguing Planned Parenthood and Edwards could not use the Medicaid statute as grounds for a lawsuit. He also argued that previous, lower court opinions were divided.

The court’s decision also could narrow the definition of who qualifies as a reproductive health provider, which could affect funding to Medicaid and other federally funded programs.

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