Medicaid payments will stop flowing to Planned Parenthood’s clinics in New Orleans and Baton Rouge later today unless a federal judge intervenes to block Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.
The Associated Press reports U.S. District Judge John deGravelles has scheduled an afternoon hearing on Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast’s request for a temporary restraining order against the Jindal administration effort.
Planned Parenthood and three of its patients sued after Jindal announced last month that he was cutting off the funding. The governor cited hidden-camera videos by an anti-abortion group that accuse the organization of profiting from fetal tissue sales. Planned Parenthood denies the allegations, saying the videos are heavily edited and misleading.
The Jindal administration says its authority to oust Planned Parenthood from Medicaid rests in a state law that allows cancellation of a Medicaid provider agreement with 30-day notice. Administration lawyers say Planned Parenthood gave up its right to sue when it signed the contractual arrangement allowing for “at-will” termination by Louisiana officials.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a court document siding with Planned Parenthood, telling deGravelles that Louisiana hasn’t met the criteria in federal law for removing a Medicaid provider. The criteria, according to the court filing, require showing that the clinics aren’t able to perform Medicaid services or properly bill for them.
Planned Parenthood doesn’t currently provide abortions in Louisiana, but offers cancer screenings, gynecology exams, sexually transmitted disease treatment and other health services. Its lawsuit says without the Medicaid revenue, the clinics may be forced to cut staff and hours and the Baton Rouge clinic may shut down. The Jindal administration says patients can seek care elsewhere. In a court filing, it says 1,146 Medicaid providers in the New Orleans area and 864 in the Baton Rouge area offer services similar to Planned Parenthood’s clinics.
