Missouri’s Supreme Court to Decide if State Can Block Planned Parenthood From Taxpayer-Funded Medicaid Reimbursements
Missouri’s Supreme Court is set to decide if the state can block Planned Parenthood from receiving taxpayer-funded Medicaid reimbursements.
Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem had ruled in December that it was unconstitutional for the state to block Planned Parenthood from receiving the funds.
Last week, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed an appeal for the Department of Social Services, which handles the Medicaid payouts.
The Joplin Globe reports, “In 2020, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down language in a budget bill that excluded abortion providers or their affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements, calling it a ‘naked attempt’ to legislate through a budget bill. And the issue itself has been around for decades: Missouri lawmakers have been attempting to restrict public funds from going to Planned Parenthood since the mid-1990s.”
“The idea that the state Legislature is required to fund Planned Parenthood is ridiculous,” Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement Thursday to The Independent.
