Plea to restore Planned Parenthood funding in Arkansas on hold

A recently renewed request for a court order to temporarily restore Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood services in Arkansas was placed on hold Thursday while disagreements on how to proceed are worked out.

On Jan. 19, attorneys for the health care provider asked U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker to again consider granting a preliminary injunction to block the cutoff of Medicaid funds.

Baker granted a preliminary injunction in 2015 for three unnamed women who sued over the announced cutoff, and extended the injunction in 2016 to make it apply to all Medicaid patients in Arkansas. But her decision was overturned by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the injunction was vacated Nov. 20.

Planned Parenthood had earlier planned to allow Medicaid patients to continue receiving services, in the hope that the provider would eventually be reimbursed, but the Jan. 19 filing indicated that services are no longer being provided for Medicaid patients.

Read more: http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/feb/02/planned-parenthood-funding-plea-on-hold-1/