Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Births Would Sharply Increase If Planned Parenthood Funding Is Cut
Cutting off federal funding for Planned Parenthood 鈥 a longstanding conservative goal that is included in the Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act 鈥 would sharply increase Medicaid births, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Zernike, 3/14)
The CBO鈥檚 findings give weight to critics of the bill who have said it would reduce women鈥檚 access to health care. Since the bill鈥檚 release a week ago, Republicans have said it would redirect the funds to other community health centers. (Nasaw, 3/14)
Thousands of women will have unplanned pregnancies during the next year if a Republican proposal to defund Planned Parenthood becomes law, according to the Congressional Budget Office. "By CBO鈥檚 estimates, in the one-year period in which federal funds for Planned Parenthood would be prohibited under the legislation, the number of births in the Medicaid program would increase by several thousand, increasing direct spending for Medicaid by $21 million in 2017 and by $77 million over the 2017-2026 period,鈥 according to the score. (Schutt. 3/14)
The proposed American Health Care Act targets the health provider Planned Parenthood with a set of proposed limits on Medicaid payments to the organization. Monday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed the magnitude of those limits. The Republican plan would block $178 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood in 2017. (Hersher, 3/14)
In other news聽鈥
Republicans have promised to strip funding from Planned Parenthood because the organization funds abortions. Now, in a bid to keep their federal funding, the group is highlighting cancer survivors who were treated at the organization's centers in a bid to tilt the debate in their favor. (Dawsey, 3/14)
Planned Parenthood is urging Kansas City-area lawmakers to oppose a provision in the Republican-crafted bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act that would block the women鈥檚 health care provider from receiving Medicaid dollars. Planned Parenthood operates 12 health centers in Missouri, including three facilities in the Kansas City area, and two health centers in Kansas, including one in Johnson County. A provision in the ACA repeal bill being pushed by Republican leaders in the U.S. House would block these facilities from receiving Medicaid dollars. (Lowry, 3/14)
