US
Kansas Wants The Supreme Court To Kick Planned Parenthood Out Of Medicaid
No featured image available
Kansas wants the Supreme Court to take Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid coverage. The state filed a Thursday petition asking the court to do so.
Kansas issued a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse an earlier decision positing Medicaid patients have the right to decide who their Medicaid provider will be, despite any state attempt to determine a certain provider.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment acting secretary Jeff Anderson filed the petition with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the state. The 8th circuit court holds jurisdiction over Missouri’s federal courts as well as six other states.
“Kansas is a Pro-Life state, and Kansans don’t want state dollars being used to support abortion providers,” Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer told KCUR News. “The medical needs of Kansas women will continue to be met by other providers in the Medicaid and KanCare network. We want the Supreme Court to weigh in on this issue, and we look forward to the outcome,” Colyer added.
Thursday’s petition comes after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s February ruling, which said the state could not stop Planned Parenthood from acting as a Medicaid provider. Kansas could not prevent healthcare providers from operating “for any reason they see fit, especially when that reason is unrelated to the provider’s competence and the quality of the healthcare it provides,” the court ruled.
A Medicaid recipient cannot challenge a state’s decision to cut off Medicaid coverage from a certain provider, another court determined since then. Following multiple contradicting rulings, the state filed to arrive at a conclusion about the de facto state power over Medicaid providers.
Planned Parenthood, however, feels the state should continue allowing it to provide Medicaid coverage. “Kansas should focus on increasing access to the basic health care services that we provide, not on stripping away that critical care from the most vulnerable Kansans,” Dr. and Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Brandon Hill said in a statement, KCUR reported.
Four Supreme Court justices must grant a writ for the filed petition in order for the case to continue to debate.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].