JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri state court ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood and found the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) violated the state’s constitution.
According to a press release from Planned Parenthood, the department refused to reimburse care provided to patients through the Medicaid program.
The ruling favored the clinics located in the St. Louis region, in Southwest Missouri and in the Great Plains.
This decision is in response to a lawsuit filed by the clinic locations named above over so-called “defunding,” which blocked reimbursements for care the clinics provided to patients this year, according to the release.
DSS halted payments to Planned Parenthood in March 2022 after the legislature passed and Gov. Mike Parson signed an appropriations bill that denied reimbursements for patients receiving care at Planned Parenthood health centers, according to the release.
Services provided at Planned Parenthood health centers via MO HealthNet — the state’s Medicaid program — include birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment and other non-abortion care.
Despite the state’s unconstitutional refusal to pay for services provided to patients via Medicaid, Missouri’s 11 Planned Parenthood health centers have continued to provide care to those patients without reimbursement, according to the release.
The decision affirms a 2020 state Supreme Court ruling that ruled defunding Planned Parenthood through the state’s budget is unconstitutional.
The targeting of Planned Parenthood also violates federal Medicaid law, which protects every patient’s freedom to choose any willing and qualified provider, according to the release.
A statement from Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, reads:
“The Missouri legislature’s open disregard for precedent and state law has failed, again. Today’s decision re-affirms federal Medicaid law, which protects every patient’s right to choose their provider. Fighting this matter in court year after year is a waste of taxpayer dollars. We urge Missouri politicians to join us in creating solutions that address the dueling public health crises — an STI epidemic, Black maternal mortality, and the ongoing ‘tripledemic’ of Covid-19, Influenza, and RSV — in our state.”
A statement from Emily Wales, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Great Plains. reads:
“Today’s decision is a win for patients and providers who are part of the state’s critical safety net. Once again, a Missouri court has sent a clear message to reactionary politicians: quit playing games and follow the law. At Planned Parenthood Great Plains, we’ll continue providing high-quality health care to Missourians, as we have for nearly nine decades. Our doors are open to all.”
According to the Missouri Family Health Council, in 2021, Planned Parenthood health centers served 52% of all patients who rely on family planning safety net providers in the state, according to the release. Other providers cannot absorb the thousands of patients impacted by defunding laws.
That’s why Planned Parenthood health centers have vowed to keep serving Missouri HealthNet patients at no cost, according to the release.
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