RELEASE: Friedman, Williams, Pappas, Smith, and Murray Introduce Bicameral Bill to Restore Medicaid Reimbursements to Planned Parenthood

The legislation strikes Section 71113 of Republicans’ “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” which prohibits federal Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood clinics that offer reproductive health care alongside other health care. The provision has already put nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics at risk of closure, endangering access to healthcare for more than two million patients across the country.

“Planned Parenthood is a cornerstone of healthcare in communities all across our nation and it's under direct attack. This bill will reverse a cruel, politically motivated ban on Medicaid payments that’s jeopardizing access to not just reproductive healthcare, but cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and more,” said Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30). “We’re fighting to ensure people can continue getting the essential care they count on, no matter who they are or where they live.”

“Before I was a Congresswoman, I was part of the Planned Parenthood family. I’ve heard firsthand from patients about their fight for the essential and fundamental right to reproductive freedom and healthcare. Not only does the Republican Budget Bill abandon working families to give tax breaks to billionaires—it abandons women. The courts granted a key victory blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid reimbursements, now it’s time to make it permanent through policy. I’m proud to co-lead the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act, which would reverse Republicans’ efforts to shutter Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health centers across the country. Securing reproductive freedom means securing access to reproductive healthcare for everyone—no matter their ZIP code, no matter their bank account,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-5).

“Extreme politicians in New Hampshire and Washington have repeatedly sought to block women’s access to health care and defund family planning, and President Trump’s health care cuts take this dangerous agenda to the next level,” said Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-1). “We cannot let this stand. That’s why I’m behind this legislation to ensure Granite Staters can continue to access birth control, cancer screenings, preventative care, and other essential services through the health provider of their choice.”

“I worked at Planned Parenthood. I saw how controlling your own health care allows you to make the best decisions about the course of your life – your education, your work and your family,” said Senator Smith (MN). “Planned Parenthood offers so much more than abortion services. In many communities it is the only clinic to provide cancer screenings, birth control, and STI screening. This bill takes a critical step to restore Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, to ensure these clinics are equipped with the resources they need to provide essential health care, and to give patients back the right to choose their health care provider.” 

“Republicans have been pushing for years to defund Planned Parenthood, because they want to ban abortion nationwide—and they don’t care if they rip away access to cancer screenings, contraception, or other essential preventive care for millions of women in the process,” said Senator Murray (WA). “Our bill is simple: it would reverse the provision Republicans enacted into law that cuts Planned Parenthood and other women’s health clinics off from federal Medicaid funding. In many communities, Planned Parenthood is the only place women can go to get basic preventive care, no matter their income. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to save essential health care.”

“President Trump and his allies in Congress chose to devastate our nation’s already fractured health care system when they passed a backdoor abortion ban ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood. With this provision, they have put nearly 200 health centers at risk of closing and threatened over a million people’s access to cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment,  birth control, and other essential services, all in order to push an unpopular, anti-abortion agenda. We are thankful to Sens. Smith (D-MN) and Murray (D-WA) and Reps. Friedman (D-CA-30), Pappas (D-NH-1), and Williams (D-GA-5) for introducing the Restoring Essential Health Care Act, and for championing access to high-quality, affordable reproductive care. Everyone deserves health care, and we will continue to fight every day to make that possible,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund

The ban on Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood could leave thousands of patients in every state with no place to seek essential reproductive care and other vital health services. Every year, Planned Parenthood provides healthcare to more than two million people, including STI testing, breast exams, birth control, HPV vaccines, and other critical services. 

There are 133 original cosponsors of the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act in the House, including Williams*, Pappas*, Amo, Auchincloss, Balint, Barragán, Bell, Beyer, Bonamici, Brownley, Budzinski, Carbajal, Carson, Carter, Case, Casten, Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Cisneros, Clarke, Cleaver, Cohen, Correa, Craig, Crockett, Davids, Davis, DeGette, DelBene, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Doggett, Elfreth, Escobar, Evans, Fletcher, Foushee, Frankel, Frost, Garamendi, Garcia (TX), Goldman, Goodlander, Gottheimer, Horsford, Houlahan, Hoyle, Huffman, Ivey, Jacobs, Jackson, Johnson (GA), Kamlager-Dove, Kaptur, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larson, Lee (PA), Leger Fernandez, Levin, Liccardo, Lieu, Lofgren, Lynch, Mannion, Matsui, McBath, McBride, McClellan, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Menendez, Meng, Min, Moore, Morelle, Morrison, Moulton, Mullin, Nadler, Norton, Olszewski, Panetta, Pelosi, Peters, Pettersen, Pingree, Pocan, Pou, Quigley, Ramirez, Randall, Raskin, Ross, Ryan, Salinas, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Simon, Sorensen, Soto, Stansbury, Stanton, Stevens, Strickland, Sykes, Takano, Thanedar, Thompson (CA), Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (NY), Torres (CA), Trahan, Underwood, Veasey, Velázquez, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson Coleman, Wilson.