Planned Parenthood Fights to Preserve Medicaid Access in Ohio

In a significant legal move, two Planned Parenthood affiliates are contesting the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s decision to exclude them from participating in Medicaid. This action comes amidst a broader national discourse on healthcare access and reproductive rights.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region have formally requested an administrative hearing. This challenge aims to overturn the state’s decision to bar them from the federal health insurance program, a critical resource for many low-income individuals.

The affiliates revealed through a press release issued Friday that the Ohio Department of Medicaid had notified them in late September about the termination. This decision, according to the release, threatens to disrupt affordable healthcare services for over 27,000 Ohioans who rely on these clinics for their medical needs.

Melissa Cohen, serving as general counsel for both Ohio Planned Parenthood affiliates, expressed hope that the hearing would demonstrate that the funding ban is politically motivated rather than grounded in legitimate procedural reasons. “We anticipate that the proceedings will expose the Medicaid funding ban as a political attack on Planned Parenthood,” Cohen stated, emphasizing the need for an unbiased review.

The backdrop to this situation is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a comprehensive spending and tax legislation signed by President Trump in July. This act includes specific provisions that restrict organizations offering abortion services, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid reimbursements, at least for the foreseeable future.

Planned Parenthood affiliates challenged the bill’s provisions in court. A federal judge ruled in their favor and issued a nationwide injunction in July blocking the Trump administration from cutting Medicaid funding to the organizations.

But a federal appeals court overruled this decision in late September, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with its plans. 

The ODM’s decision to terminate Planned Parenthood’s participation in Medicaid would potentially last beyond the year and goes beyond the scope of changes proposed in the bill.

According to the Ohio Planned Parenthood affiliates’ press release, the two organizations closed health centers in Cleveland, Hamilton and Springfield as a result of federal cuts. 

Several Planned Parenthood affiliates around the country have faced cuts in services or health center closures. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it would pause abortion services due to Trump’s bill. Multiple affiliates sent notices to patients in July that Medicaid would no longer be accepted at their locations.