Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Jindal Administration Announces New Plan To End Planned Parenthood's Medicaid Contracts
New Orleans Times-Picayune: DHH To File New Medicaid Termination Notice With Planned Parenthood
Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration announced a new approach to defunding Planned Parenthood on Friday (Sept. 11), saying it will terminate the organization's Medicaid contracts "for cause." The change comes as a federal judge was set to rule on a request to block Jindal from canceling the contracts without cause, a move the administration had defended since announcing the defunding on Aug. 3. The administration now says Planned Parenthood is "in violation for entering into a settlement agreement under the federal False Claims Act in 2013." (Litten, 9/11)
The Associated Press: Louisiana Officials Try New Path To Block Planned Parenthood
Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration is trying a new approach to remove Planned Parenthood from Louisiana's Medicaid program, this time saying it has a reason to block the clinics. Jindal, an anti-abortion Republican running for president in 2016, had initially ended Medicaid provider agreements with Planned Parenthood without providing a reason. The administration said state law allowed cancellation with a 30-day notice. But a federal judge questioned that reasoning. Planned Parenthood had asked the judge to consider halting Jindal's maneuver. (DeSlatte, 9/11)
Bloomberg: Louisiana Will Cut Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funds Monday
Louisiana said it will cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood on Monday, switching tactics in a legal fight against abortion providers. State health officials said the organization violated state law by entering a $4.3 million false-claims-act settlement in Texas two years ago. The move may end the clinics’ bid to hold on to their Medicaid funding through a court challenge. The clinics contend the state can’t terminate their contracts without evidence of wrongdoing. (Calkins, 9/12)
The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Sues Arkansas Over Loss Of Medicaid Money
Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Friday challenging Arkansas’ cancellation of its Medicaid provider contract, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson terminated amid concerns about secretly recorded videos released by an anti-abortion group. (Lauer, 9/11)
The Associated Press: Licenses Suspended At Two Abortion Clinics In South Carolina
South Carolina's public health agency suspended the licenses of two of the state's three abortion clinics Friday and threatened to close them—actions that an official at one of the centers called "extreme." The Department of Health and Environmental Control issued suspension orders for Planned Parenthood's Columbia clinic and the Greenville Women's Clinic, citing violations found during recent inspections. The violations cited at both places include incomplete records, performing an abortion sooner than 60 minutes after an ultrasound and not properly disposing of aborted fetuses. According to manifests, the fetuses were sterilized with steam and taken to a landfill, rather than incinerated or buried as required by law. (9/12)
And The Washington Post examines a Catholic hospital's rejection of one woman's tubal ligation and "the simmering debate over religious liberties" -
The Washington Post: A Pregnant Woman Wanted Her Tubes Tied. Her Catholic Hospital Said No.
It was painful to hear but ultimately seemed the best course to Jessica Mann and her family. Because of a dangerous tumor in her brain, her doctor gently suggested that she take steps to make sure that she could not get pregnant again. ... Mann, 33, who is due to have her third baby next month, decided that while she was under anesthesia during the birth, she would undergo a tubal ligation — a procedure that would prevent further pregnancies. But her hospital said no. Genesys Regional Medical Center, which is Catholic, denied the request on religious grounds. ... Mann’s situation is the latest to draw attention to the simmering debate over religious liberties and how far people and organizations of faith may go in denying people services that conflict with their beliefs. (Somashekhar, 9/13)
