Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Redistributes $34M In Family Planning Funds No Longer Going To Planned Parenthood And Others
The Hill: Trump Admin Shifts Family Planning Funds From Planned Parenthood To Other Providers
The Trump administration says it has reallocated $34 million in federal funds given up by Planned Parenthood and other providers that did not want to comply with new abortion restrictions on a federal family planning program. The money will instead go to 50 grantees that decided to remain in the Title X family planning grant program, which funds birth control and other reproductive health services for millions of low-income women and men. (Hellmann, 9/30)
The Associated Press: Trump Officials Shuffle Funds To Cover Family Planning Gaps
Diane Foley, director of the Health and Human Services office that oversees the so-called Title X family planning program said Monday the goal is to serve about the same number of women , or more, avoiding disruptions. ... About 930 clinics serving an estimated 900,000 clients have been affected by grantees leaving the program. The money returned to the government has been divided up among organizations that remained, said Foley, among them state and local health departments. However, five states will no longer be served by the federal program. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/30)
Politico Pro: HHS Awards $33.6M To Plug Holes In Family Planning Network Pro
The recipients of the additional funds do not include two faith-based medical providers that joined the program this year: Obria in California and Beacon Christian Community Health Center in New York. Beacon confirmed to POLITICO that it applied for the supplemental funding. Obria wouldn't confirm or deny. The administration's overhaul of Title X forbids recipients of program funds from referring patients for abortions — a prohibition critics term a "gag rule." Abortion rights supporters and nearly two dozen states are challenging the policy change in federal court. (Ollstein, 9/30)
Lawsuits challenging the abortion restrictions are working their way through federal courts, as are other measures put forward by the Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how the Supreme Court will play a pivotal role.
The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Is Key After Trump’s String Of Losses In Lower Courts
Donald Trump’s presidency has faced considerable setbacks in the courts, with judges blocking administration actions on immigration, the environment and health care. But the president’s fortunes have begun to improve with help from the Supreme Court, and a crucial set of proceedings lies ahead. This year, the country’s highest court granted interim victories to the Trump administration on several hot-button issues after the Justice Department filed emergency appeals challenging lower-court injunctions that had impeded White House plans. The decisions allowed the administration to implement its plans while litigation continues, which in some cases could run through the 2020 presidential election. (Kendall, 9/30)
