What Does Loss of Medicaid Funding Mean for Local Planned Parenthood?

Medi-Cal users can no longer use their health insurance at any Planned Parenthood centers as of Sept. 11.

Planned Parenthood California Central Coast has six health centers along the coast in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. Nearly 70% of patients who walk into one of the six centers rely on Medi-Cal as their insurance, according to PPCCC CEO Jenna Tosh.

Centers can no longer receive federal reimbursement for services provided to Medi-Cal patients, according to a Planned Parenthood statement.

The change comes after months of legal battles between the Trump administration and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

In July, President Donald Trump signed into law a provision to prohibit Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers who provide abortion services, as reported to CalMatters. PPFA then filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration days after, as reported by Reuters.

Later that month, a federal District Court judge halted that action, allowing Medicaid funds to continue going to Planned Parenthood. As of September, Planned Parenthood reported that the injunction is over.

When the letter requiring health plans to stop paying prohibited entities, such as Planned Parenthood, came across CenCal CEO Marina Owen's desk, she said she felt overcome with emotion. CenCal administers Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

"I just sat down in my little blue chair and cried," she said.

Medicaid reimbursements lost by the defund provision make up 60% of PPCCC's annual revenue, according to Tosh. The funding goes toward services such as cancer screenings, birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and wellness visits.

That leaves the centers to potentially look elsewhere for money, such as grant funding and donors, Owen said.

"This puts them in a really unfortunate position because they're providing uncompensated care," she said. "How long they can continue that is unknown."

Running out of funding could mean disruptions to the care the centers provide.

"Cancers will go undetected, the state's STI crisis will worsen, abortion and birth control will be harder than ever to access, and people who already struggle to access reproductive health care will face even more barriers," Tosh said.

However, Tosh is adamant that every Medi-Cal patient who walks through a center's doors will receive care.

"We want patients, including those who rely on Medi-Cal, to know that our health center doors are open to everyone who needs us," Tosh said.

She also assures the community that Planned Parenthood has plans in motion as a response to the defund provision.

"Alongside Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California will continue to fight back with every tool we have against this unjust and politically motivated attack on reproductive health care access in California and other States," she said.

However, Owen added, the community also has a responsibility to fight against the provision.

"If we value these services, then it's time for local communities to support them," she said. "The responsibility is transferred to us."

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