Thousands of Planned Parenthood of Michigan patients who rely on Medicaid will need to start paying out-of-pocket, or find a new provider for services like breast exams, birth control, and pap smears.
That’s because a U.S. appeals court panel ruled on Thursday to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood, while a legal challenge over that funding plays out. (A lower court had previously ruled in July that the funding had to continue.)
About a quarter of all PPMI patients rely on Medicaid, the organization said Friday. Medicaid covers services like family planning, HPV vaccines, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. Medicaid does not cover abortions in Michigan.
“While PPMI must stop seeking reimbursement for care provided to patients with Medicaid, effective immediately, they will cover the cost of already-scheduled appointments for Medicaid patients through Sept. 22, 2025, to protect continuity of care,” a PPMI spokesperson said in a statement.
“Starting today, patients with Medicaid who call for new appointments at PPMI will either have to pay out-of-pocket or find another provider who accepts their insurance, leaving nearly 14,000 Michiganders without immediate access to essential, lifesaving health care while the legal battle continues.”
But abortion opponents celebrated the decision as “a significant step forward in defunding the nation’s number one abortion provider,” said Gracie O’Brien, spokesperson for Right to Life of Michigan, in an email Friday.
“Taxpayers should never be forced to underwrite an industry that ends over one million lives each year and targets vulnerable women with dangerous abortion pills,” O’Brien said. “This decision is a vital step towards safeguarding women and the unborn while redirecting funds towards life-affirming care.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment before publication deadline.
PPMI will reach out to patients who are impacted by the ruling, the organization said Friday, and can offer payment assistance programs for those who qualify.
