Haslam likely to sign bill stripping Planned Parenthood of TennCare funding for non-abortion services

March 29--This story was updated March 29, 2018, at 11:28 p.m. with more information.

NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to send to the governor a bill aimed at cutting all TennCare reimbursements to health care clinics that include elective abortions among their services.

The vote was 24-2 on the previously passed House measure that directs TennCare, the state's Medicaid program, to seek a waiver of federal rules to let Tennessee eliminate all funds for such providers.

It's aimed specifically at Planned Parenthood of Middle & West Tennessee.

"Mr. Speaker, this bill is a statement," said Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, the bill's sponsor. "It is a statement from this legislative body. It is a statement from the people of the state of Tennessee that we want our tax dollars to stop going" to abortion services.

Minority Leader Lee Harris, D-Memphis, warned the bill will result in fewer nonabortion services the clinics provide to lower-income Tennessee women.

"Fewer providers of STD [sexually transmitted diseases] treatment, fewer patients that can choose where they go and get their prenatal care, fewer patients that will be able to make a choice as to where they go and get a range of medical services," he said.

Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, countered that services in those areas won't be decreased because the money will be redirected to the state's 95 county health departments and private, nonprofit providers.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam appears likely to sign the legislation.

" ... as he does with all bills that come to his desk, the governor will review the final version before taking any action," press secretary Jennifer Donnals wrote in an email.

In a statement, Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood Executive Director Francie Hunt called the vote "a disappointingly bold move by our state legislature to disregard patients' rights, further discriminate against women, people of color, and the poor, and push the extremist agenda set forth by the Trump-Pence administration."

She said Tennessee has already "refused to expand Medicaid, which caused 280,000 Tennesseans to go without health care, and we have the second highest amount of hospital closures in the nation. Now is the time to trust patients and provide them with as many qualified health care options as possible, rather than restrict access and limit providers."

Earlier this month when the House acted on the bill, Rep. Jimmy Matlock, R-Lenoir City, charged that nearly $1 million has been paid to abortion clinics here through TennCare in the past six years.

While the money doesn't go toward providing abortions, Matlock said it does go to clinics that provide the services and thus "is a form of supporting abortions."

A recent national report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that a total of $40,000 in indirect funding went to Planned Parenthood in fiscal years 2013, 2014 and 2015 combined. All of that was in 2014.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.

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