SANTA CRUZ — A federal decide has halted a provision in Congress’ newly handed spending invoice that cuts Deliberate Parenthood off from Medicaid reimbursements, however it received’t be sufficient to carry again the clinic in downtown Santa Cruz that closed final week with little discover.
Andrew Adams, a spokesperson for Deliberate Parenthood Mar Monte — the umbrella group that oversaw Santa Cruz’s Westside Clinic department, advised the Sentinel Tuesday that the affiliate applauds the injunction handed down Monday by a U.S. District decide in Massachusetts, however doesn’t suppose it’s the top of the story.
“While this is a key victory, the fight is far from over. We know the Trump administration will almost certainly appeal this preliminary injunction and use every tactic at their disposal to seek to destroy Planned Parenthood as an organization, to stop abortion care, and to block federal funding for sexual and reproductive health care,” Adams wrote. “(Planned Parenthood Mar Monte) is not backing down from this fight. Defunding Planned Parenthood is an unconstitutional attack that will decimate abortion access nationwide and harm patients who use Medicaid. We will not back down, but we must have the resources to continue this fight while keeping as many doors open to patient care as possible.”
The availability throughout the federal spending invoice, President Donald Trump’s signature piece of laws thus far in his second time period, included a rule that imposed a one-year ban on Medicaid reimbursements, or Medi-Cal in California, beginning July 4 to suppliers that acquired greater than $800,000 in federal funds in 2023 and conduct reproductive well being care. Whereas Deliberate Parenthood wasn’t named particularly, the group and lots of different native political and well being care leaders stated there’s little doubt the rule was stuffed into the invoice so as to kneecap Deliberate Parenthood companies.
In response, 47 Deliberate Parenthood associates, together with Mar Monte, sued the federal authorities to halt the supply and have been granted a two-week restraining order that expired July 21.
However regardless of this newest authorized victory, Mar Monte, Deliberate Parenthood’s largest affiliate within the nation, doesn’t imagine Medicaid reimbursements for sexual and reproductive well being care shall be obtainable sooner or later. Due to this fact, all 5 places that closed final Thursday will stay that method.
“With 3.5 years remaining of the Trump administration, (Planned Parenthood Mar Monte) is strategically planning for a sustainable business model that will keep as many doors open as possible–without the security of federal funding for Medicaid reimbursement,” Adams wrote. “For now, we’ll be able to resume billing for Medicaid reimbursements for patients, but the federal government has said it plans to challenge the injunction and will attempt to take back all the funds paid if the injunction is reversed (millions of dollars for patient care).”
The Santa Cruz’s Deliberate Parenthood department, which served 4,699 sufferers final yr, was first established in 1971 and continued to supply companies uninterrupted for 54 years. Deliberate Parenthood Mar Monte’s Watsonville location stays open.
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