Planned Parenthood wants feds to block Missouri rule targeting its Medicaid funding

Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri is calling for the Biden administration to intervene to block the state’s new emergency regulation that abortion advocates contend could cut off Medicaid funding for its clinics around the state.

Without federal action, Planned Parenthood said it may need to turn to the courts.

“It is the role of the Biden administration and [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] to be the regulator and enforcer of those Medicaid rules,” Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

“And just like we’ve done in the past,” she said, “we are now exploring all of our legal options.”

The rule went into effect Wednesday requiring the Department of Health and Senior Services to turn over results of all inspections of the state’s only abortion provider — a Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis — to the Department of Social Services.

Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/planned-parenthood-hopes-feds-will-block-missouri-rule-targeting-its-medicaid-funding/