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Gov. Charlie Baker has promised that Massachusetts will plug any holes in the budget of the state chapter of Planned Parenthood if Congress moves to block the use of Medicaid funding for treatment at the women’s health care organization. The move by Mr. Baker, a Republican governor of a Democratic-leaning state, is intended, in part, to signal the gap between his positions and those of the Republican-controlled Congress, many of whose members oppose Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortions. (3/3)

Governor Charlie Baker is pledging to boost state funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in Massachusetts if his fellow Republicans in Washington push ahead with a plan to slash the flow of federal dollars to the organization. Massachusetts’ five Planned Parenthood clinics stand to lose a total of about $2 million a year, from a budget of $21.5 million, if the federal cuts take place. (McCluskey, 3/3)

Already the federal government prohibits any federal dollars from paying for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother’s life. But the new effort seeks to block federal funds from paying for any other kind of health care by providers who also perform abortions. If they succeed, the impact would be particularly strong in California — a state where legislators over the years have interpreted federal laws and rules in ways that have allowed more federal dollars to flow to Planned Parenthood clinics. (Young, 3/5)

Cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood is a priority for many congressional Republicans, but that effort is likely to stumble because other GOP lawmakers are hesitant to take aim at health clinics that are popular with their constituents. Although the abortion services Planned Parenthood provides are bitterly opposed by conservative Republicans, polls show a majority of Americans support the organization. (Radelat, 3/6)

Nationwide, family planning clinics are seeing a surge in demand for contraceptive services, particularly long-acting IUDs and implants. In Indiana, appointments for long-acting birth control methods have jumped by more than 50 percent compared to last year, said Kristin Adams, CEO of the Indiana Family Health Council, which oversees federal and state funding for family planning clinics in the state, including at the Warsaw center. (Vestal, 3/6)