The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled for South Carolina in its effort to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, ruling that individual Medicaid patients cannot sue to enforce their right to pick a provider.
In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the Court sided with the state, which was backed by the Trump administration. However, the lawsuit was not about abortion access, but whether a Medicaid beneficiary has the “right” to pick their preferred health provider and sue if they can’t.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority that Medicaid recipients do not have the right to sue to enforce the Medicaid Act’s provision that enables recipients to receive services from any “qualified” provider.
The law says that “any individual” insured through Medicaid “may obtain” care from any qualified and willing provider.
South Carolina restricted Planned Parenthood from participating in Medicaid because the organization provides abortions.
Medicaid is prohibited from paying for almost all abortions, but states want to cut government funding for other services Planned Parenthood provides as well.
South Carolina said the money Planned Parenthood receives for providing other health services-— like cancer screenings, birth control, physical exams and more — “frees up their other funds to provide more abortions.”
Updated 10:34 a.m.
