Planned Parenthood to sue Arkansas to preserve Medicaid help

[LiberalArkie]

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland will file a federal lawsuit in Little Rock this morning to contest Gov. Asa Hutchinson's directive that the state stop allowing Planned Parenthood to participate in the Medicaid program.

The lawsuit will name the Department of Human Services as a defendant. The federal Medicaid agency has already told Arkansas and other states that they may not end Medicaid reimbursement to Planned Parenthood because they object to Planned Parenthood's abortion services.

Medicaid pays for abortions only in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. Planned Parenthood's two Arkansas clinics, in Fayetteville and Little Rock, don't provide clinical abortions. They provide pills that induce abortion in women less than nine weeks pregnant.

Planned Parenthood says only about 2 percent of its business is related to abortion. And Medicaid accounts for only a small portion of Planned Parenthood patients in Arkansas — about $50,000 worth last year. But the loss of even that money — apart from being illegal and worth suing over principle — could have a snowball effect. Reducing staff could reduce hours and reduce availabiligty and women who otrherwise might be served won't be.

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Read More: http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2015/09/11/planned-parenthood-to-sue-arkansas-to-preserve-medicaid-help