Texas, Feds Face Off Over Planned Parenthood
Read the whole thing here, or better yet, listen to it as it was heard on the radio this morning here:
Local citizens and employees of the Planned Parenthood clinic in San Angelo, Texas gather in front of the clinic Thursday, March, 8, 2012 to participate in the “Don’t Mess with Texas Women” rally. Patrick Dove/AP
Texas and the federal government are going at each other again, this time over Planned Parenthood.
The Texas Legislature cut off all Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood because of its involvement in abortions; in response, the federal government has suspended funding for the state’s reproductive health program.
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A well-placed state government source said coming up with the money won’t be so hard. The challenge is coming up with new providers.
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“I mean, let’s face it, if it was a lucrative program you can bet your boots that the private sector would have already signed up, they would be graciously accepting those patients into their practice,” says Dr. Moss Hampton, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the health center. Hampton says that Planned Parenthood clinics served patients that other doctors didn’t want to accept.
Medicaid reimburses at about half the rate of private insurance. A spokesperson for the state health commission says it is redoubling its outreach efforts to get new doctors to see these low-income women.
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Texas has among the highest rates of uninsured women, unwanted pregnancies and cervical cancer in the nation. Women’s health advocates say any disruption in the deliverance of reproductive services in this state could be disastrous.
It’s not called a War on Women for fun. There are casualties, including deaths.