Planned Parenthood at risk with federal spending bill

ALBANY -- A provision included in the federal spending bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday bars Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid, which is an attack on the organization, the president and CEO of the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood said Tuesday.

The federal spending plan was narrowly passed in the Senate by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote, after multiple last-minute revisions by senators. The bill went back to the U.S. House for a vote, where it originally passed in May, and must pass before it can be signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Albany-based Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood President and CEO Chelly Hegan said Tuesday that a provision in the bill that prevents Planned Parenthood centers across the country from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for their services would act as a backdoor abortion ban.

"It is more than just Medicaid," Hegan said. "It is a way in which this administration is trying to reduce access to reproductive health care."

Planned Parenthood is the United States' largest abortion provider, and also provides women's health services including birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing, and preventative health services, such as pap smears.

Roughly 45% of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood's patients are enrolled in Medicaid, and Hegan said the local organization would fall $1.5 million short in funding through the loss of Medicaid reimbursements.

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood uses Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care, private insurance and community support to deliver care to the 16,000 people that use its services throughout the region. The organization estimates that 200 Planned Parenthood health care centers could close in 24 states, with over 90% of closures occurring in states that still provide legal access to abortion.

"Once Planned Parenthoods start closing, access to abortion services is going to be limited," Hegan said.

Planned Parenthood facilities in New York state could also close, but Hegan did not anticipate any closures for Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood locations due to the size of the operations.

The amount Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, which has facilities in Troy, Albany and Hudson, is reimbursed by Medicaid varies depending on the services provided. For some services, 90% of the cost of the service is reimbursed by Medicaid back to the organization, with the reimbursement amount falling to 20% for other services.

Abortion services are not reimbursed by the federal government, due to the 1977 Hyde Amendment, which bars the use of federal funds for abortions.

Hegan said she hopes the state government, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Senate and Assembly, would work in the future to come up with a plan to maintain funding for Planned Parenthoods in the state. Hegan added Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood mainly relies on fundraising to maintain access to services, due to Medicaid reimbursements being low.

"No matter what is happening with Washington, fundraising has been an enormous part of maintaining services in our region," she said. "We intend to continue to provide services, and continue to do everything we can to work with the state on Medicaid reimbursements."

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood has been preparing for the potential loss of Medicaid reimbursements, or other potential threats to the organization, since Trump took office in January, Hegan said.

"We knew the moment Donald Trump was elected president we would be a target, as we were the last time he was president," she said.

Hegan said the impacts of the provisions effectively defund Planned Parenthood facilities, and would also have an impact on other medical providers who have patients on Medicaid.

"Anybody who sees a Medicaid population is at risk of not being able to keep their doors open," she said. "This is a seismic shift in how we provide access to health care in the country, and it's setting us back decades. It's being decimated with the stroke of a pen."