It’s all setting up for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a very important case. This could be a long-term ruling determining the fate of Medicaid dollars going to Planned Parenthood in South Carolina. The case, Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, centers on the state’s attempt to restrict Medicaid reimbursements. This latest shot aims specifically at clinics that provide abortion services. In 2018, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed an executive order to prevent these reimbursements from going forward. Critics say this change is just the first volley of a deeper anti-abortion attack on the nation’s oldest and largest family-planning program.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic operates two clinics in South Carolina and serves a significant population of individuals seeking essential health services. According to their reports, this organization privately treats nearly 2.4 million people every year across the nation. Almost 50 percent of these patients count on Medicaid for their healthcare needs. In 2018, Planned Parenthood provided these vital services to more than 11 million people. In the process, they performed more than 450,000 Pap tests and breast exams and 4.6 million STI tests and treatments. In addition, it provided subsidized birth control to more than 2.2 million people.
The years-long and continuing legal fight has implicates patients’ ability to choose their providers and access affordable, reliable care. Federal law mandates that people covered by Medicaid are guaranteed the freedom to choose their health providers without encountering barriers. Planned Parenthood is a qualified provider under this program. This recent recognition further complicates South Carolina’s attempts to lower its spending.
Yet Governor McMaster has maintained an unusual level of defiance to his position on the issue. Further, he claims that taxpayer funds should never subsidize an organization that performs abortions. It was never about closing all abortion clinics, he argued, because that supports the practice of abortion—something Taxpayer Inc. would never support. Each of these actions constitutes a denial of the fundamental right to life. His executive order represents the opening blast of a decades-long war on reproductive health providers like Planned Parenthood.
Opponents of the uniformed governor’s order contend it puts the healthcare access of millions vulnerable at risk. Nicole Huberfeld, a health law professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health, emphasized the long-term effects of politically motivated decisions. These decisions have a profound impact on the availability of quality medical care. She explained, “Truly what’s going on here is states exercising their political will to deny access to medically necessary care.”
The Supreme Court is preparing to hear oral arguments in this case. The stakes couldn’t be higher, both for Planned Parenthood and its patients. The organization now faces an ongoing lawsuit that endangers its very financial foundation. Allegations of Medicaid fraud are making it harder for the state to offer the services Floridians need most.
This case has the potential to set a new precedent. It could transform how states design and regulate funding streams to providers that provide abortions. With Planned Parenthood representing a critical source of medical care for millions across the country, the decision could significantly impact access to reproductive health services in South Carolina and beyond.
Anna Chatillon, a research scientist at Resound Research for Reproductive Health, articulated what can happen when Planned Parenthood is targeted. She noted that it addresses critical healthcare longings in areas of limited compatibility. She said that for many people, Planned Parenthood was their medical home. Individuals who had virtually no other providers to turn to used it over and over.