At least one Planned Parenthood affiliate is preparing to drop abortion services in an apparent bid to remain eligible to participate in Medicaid under the GOP budget law enacted this summer.
Two sources confirm to Autonomy News that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) is not scheduling abortion appointments beyond September 30. Under the Congressional budget’s “defund” provision, organizations that provide abortions as of October 1, and received more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in fiscal year 2023, will be barred from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for one year.
PPWI is the first known affiliate to drop abortion services in the wake of the law. It may also be the first Planned Parenthood affiliate to halt abortion after the Dobbs decision in a state where such care is still legal.
The change comes after Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson confirmed during a press call on September 12 that the organization “created an option for affiliates to stop providing abortions” in order to preserve Medicaid funding. However, a PPFA spokesperson told Autonomy News later that day that McGill Johnson should have spoken in the past tense to convey that it was not actively considering this option. A second spokesperson claimed that, after an appellate court allowed the Trump administration to enforce the “defund” provision, it wouldn’t matter what services affiliates provided—they would be kicked out of Medicaid simply for being part of the Planned Parenthood network.
One source told Autonomy News that PPWI internally described the halting of abortion care as a “pause.” It’s not clear whether this means abortion services could resume at some point. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Abortion was unavailable in Wisconsin for 15 months following Dobbs, and while access rebounded after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal, many restrictive laws remain on the books. According to its website, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has 22 health centers across the state, three of which provide abortion—though one only provides abortion pills, while the other two offer both pills and in-clinic procedures. Halting abortions would increase demand at the two independent abortion clinics in the state, both located in Milwaukee, or force patients to travel to other states like Minnesota or Illinois. Wisconsin doesn’t allow telemedicine prescriptions for abortion pills, though people can obtain the pills virtually from clinicians in other states under so-called “shield” laws.
When campaigning against the budget bill, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin said the “defund” provision would put “nearly 200 Planned Parenthood health centers at risk of closing, including centers in Wisconsin.” The organization estimated that, if implemented, the Congressional budget could result in 50,000 Wisconsinites losing access to health care. One PPWI clinic, in Delavan, closed this summer, to much fanfare from anti-abortion groups. PPWI did not announce or comment on the closure publicly.
The Hyde Amendment already prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the pregnant person. That means abortion providers typically only receive Medicaid reimbursement for non-abortion services like birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and vaccinations. Many Planned Parenthood health centers also provide gender-affirming care. Nearly 40 Planned Parenthood clinics have already closed this year per Autonomy News’ count, and these closures—with more expected—will wreak havoc on people’s ability to access basic health care.
Soon after President Trump signed the budget bill on July 4, Planned Parenthood sued to block the “defund” provision in federal court in Massachusetts, winning temporary injunctions that would have preserved its affiliates’ Medicaid eligibility while litigation continued. But on September 11, the First Circuit Court of Appeals overturned these injunctions, allowing the “defund” to take effect. In addition to many of Planned Parenthood’s regional affiliates, the law has made at least two large independent abortion providers ineligible for the Medicaid program, threatening their ability to keep their doors open. PPFA has referred to the “defund” provision as a “backdoor” abortion ban, because of its potential to decimate access even in states where abortion is legal.
PPFA told Autonomy News that the First Circuit ruling made it impossible for any of its affiliates to bill Medicaid. "It is the act of being a Planned Parenthood that makes them ineligible in the eyes of the bill," the spokesperson said. The Department of Health and Human Services has advanced this argument in court, but neither the law’s text (see page 230) nor the judges’ two-page ruling say that all 47 affiliates are ineligible to participate in Medicaid. PPFA is an umbrella organization that oversees the affiliates but does not provide medical care. PPWI, at least, appears to disagree with the federation’s legal interpretation.
Autonomy News was first to report in June that PPFA had internally announced a plan that would allow some affiliates to stop providing abortion care, and other affiliates to advertise abortion services to patients in those affiliates’ territory. At present, abortion care is considered a “core service,” meaning that every regional affiliate where abortion is legal must provide abortions at at least one of its locations. PPFA told affiliate leadership that it would allow affiliates to apply for waivers that would exempt them from this core service. Permission to advertise abortion services in other affiliates’ territory would also require a waiver.
In public social media posts and in an internal email obtained by Autonomy News, PPFA called our story “misleading” and “inaccurate,” and claimed it contained “false accusations.”
Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not respond to questions by publication time. We will update this story with their response.
This story was copy edited and fact checked by Hannah McAlilly.
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