Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood advocates warn of clinic closures if organization is dropped from Medicaid program

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Planned Parenthood advocates and leaders in Pennsylvania say a federal proposal to block clinics from participating in the Medicaid health insurance program could lead to future closures across the commonwealth.

An estimated 20,000 Pennsylvanians who get health care at Planned Parenthood clinics across the state have Medicaid insurance, according to Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates, the advocacy and lobbying arm of the health care organization.

“It punishes patients for accessing care at Planned Parenthood, and it will raise health care costs for everyone,” said Signe Espinoza, executive director of the advocacy and lobby arm.

The proposal, led by Republican lawmakers, is part of a larger national budget plan that includes Trump administration wish list items like tax cuts, increased military spending and reductions to assistance programs like food stamps.

In the bill is a provision that would prohibit federal Medicaid dollars from going to nonprofit family planning health centers that provide abortions.

The Hyde Amendment, which took effect in 1977, bans federal funding from being used for most abortion services. The new proposal would also ban Medicaid reimbursements for preventative health care like birth control, cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases at these clinics.

Three affiliates — Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood Keystone and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania — manage 21 health centers and clinics across the state.

The impact would be twofold, Espinoza said. Patients with Medicaid may no longer be able to get routine care and procedures at Planned Parenthood centers if they can’t afford the out-of-pocket costs.

And the health centers that serve a significant population of Medicaid patients and rely on revenue from insurance reimbursements may be forced to limit services or close altogether if they can’t find other types of funding to fill the gaps, she said.

“And shutting down health centers, with the landscape in Pennsylvania, will only block people from accessing preventative health care and critical and time-sensitive services,” Espinoza said.

The effects could be greater for patients who may struggle to get care at other health centers if they are located far away, if they don’t take Medicaid health insurance or if there are long waitlists for new appointments, advocates said.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the proposal Wednesday in a set of budget and spending bills. The cuts could face some pushback in the Senate by both Democrats and Republicans.

Health providers stressed that none of these proposed changes are yet in effect and are still being debated in Congress. People with Medicaid insurance are still covered for health care services at Planned Parenthood locations and other family planning health centers.