The Obama administration is threatening to sue the state of Texas for cutting off funding from the Planned Parenthood abortion business after it’s Houston affiliate was caught selling the body parts of aborted babies.
LifeNews reported last week that Texas Governor Greg Abbott made it official and his administration issued a letter ending Medicaid participation for Planned Parenthood affiliates in the State of Texas — effectively cutting their state taxpayer funding.
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After Planned Parenthood was caught in a series of 10 videos selling aborted babies and their body parts, Abbott made decision to eliminate state taxpayer funding for the abortion business. One of the expose’ videos caught a Houston, Texas Planned Parenthood arranging for the sales of aborted babies and dissecting babies it had aborted and planned to ship off for sale to a biotech firm.
The Obama administration has warned state officials that pushing Planned Parenthood out of the state’s Medicaid program could put Texas at odds with federal law.
Officials with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contacted the state Medicaid director on Tuesday to give notice that removing Planned Parenthood from the program “may be in conflict with federal law” because poor women who obtain family planning services through Medicaid would be limited from receiving health care from the qualified provider of their choice.
“Longstanding Medicaid law prohibits states from restricting individuals with Medicaid coverage from receiving their care from any qualified provider,” a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services representative said in a statement. “Every year, millions of women benefit from critical preventive services, such as cancer screenings, that Planned Parenthood provides. State efforts to restrict women from using qualified providers puts these important health care services at risk.”
A spokesman for the Texas Office of Inspector General, which is handling the Planned Parenthood investigation, said state officials on Tuesday “had a very productive call” with the feds about the Medicaid announcement.
“Some concerns were voiced, and the state was able to responsively address them,” said OIG spokesman Chris Cutrone.
In an interview with Fox News (watch below), Governor Abbott defended that decision — calling the abortion company lawbreakers.
“The Inspector General for Medicaid in Texas uncovered several legal violations by Planned Parenthood,” said Governor Abbott in the interview. “There is evidence that Planned Parenthood altered the abortion procedure in order to obtain fetal tissue. This violates both federal law as well as state law. Second, the Inspector General found evidence where Planned Parenthood allowed unsanitary conditions that could cause the spread of infectious diseases. Third, is the fact that Planned Parenthood has already previously been found in violation of Medicaid fraud for billing for items and services that were either unnecessary or never provided and the Inspector General says he has uncovered more instances of these types of violations.”
In the letter issued, the Office of Inspector General made the following points for ending Planned Parenthood’s enrollment in the Texas Medicaid program:
- That Planned Parenthood and its affiliates are no longer capable of performing medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal and ethical manner.
- The termination of all Planned Parenthood affiliates will not affect access to care because there are thousands of alternate providers in Texas including federally qualified heath centers, Medicaid-certified rural health clinics, and other health care providers across the state that participate in the Texas Women’s Health Program and Medicaid.
- The State of Texas requests cooperation in informing all clients and potential clients of alternatives where they can obtain Medicaid services from providers in good standing with the State.
The full letter appears below:
Texas to cut Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid
John Seago of Texas Right to Life emailed LifeNews in response to the decision.
“Over the last seven years, Texas Right to Life has successfully spearheaded efforts to defund the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood from taxpayer dollars in Texas. In every budget cycle, tens of millions of dollars have been redirected to health care programs that serve a broader spectrum of clients with a wider variety of services that do not include abortion,” he said. “Texas and other states continue to run into federal policies and laws that keep sizable amounts of funding flowing to the coffers of Planned Parenthood. ”
