Planned Parenthood offers free services for Medicaid patients in response to budget exclusion
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Planned Parenthood said last week that it still plans to care for Missouri patients for now, despite a state budget that doesn't reimburse the organization for Medicaid services.
"Anything like this could affect access for people and our role as public health in anything we do is always to increase access", Ashton Day with Boone and Columbia Health said.
Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri sued the state Department of Social Services last week over a supplemental state budget that zeroes out the organization's Medicaid reimbursement.
Some of the services Planned Parenthood offered under the state's Medicaid program include birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment and other non-abortion care.
The lack of funding is part of a supplemental budget that pays for Medicaid services through June. Planned Parenthood says the budget violates the constitution by not funding services,
Missouri is the fourth state to single out Planned Parenthood in such a way, the organization says. But Day says there are still other resources Missourians can seek to get similar services.
The Columbia Boone county, public health and human services department. Spectrum health, is another partner that we work a lot when it comes to sexual health and our local hospitals/Boone hospital", said Day.
According to a Planned Parenthood report, 75% of Planned Parenthood patients have incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, and approximately 60% of Planned Parenthood patients access care through the Medicaid program.
In response, Kelli Jones, director of communications for Missouri Governor Mike Parson, said last week that Missouri Assembly possess constitutional authority to appropriate funds and state agencies are beholden to appropriation laws as enacted by the general assembly.
Check back and watch ABC 17 News at 6 for more on this developing story.
