Trump’s Efforts To Defund Planned Parenthood Threatens Us Healthcare System, Study Suggests

Planned Parenthood clinics treated group who trust connected Medicaid astatine much than 1.5m visits successful 2024, caller investigation published Wednesday shows. But nan reproductive wellness giant’s expertise to dainty those patients is now successful jeopardy owed to Republicans’ efforts to “defund” Planned Parenthood by kicking it retired of Medicaid.

Donald Trump’s tax and spending package, passed successful July, bans Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid, nan US government’s security programme for low-income people. After Planned Parenthood sued complete nan ban, a judge temporarily stopped it from taking effect.

If nan prohibition moves forward, experts pass that it could cripple nan entirety of nan US healthcare societal information net.

“Planned Parenthood has filled a very important domiciled successful nan reproductive healthcare information nett for group surviving connected debased incomes,” said Kari White, executive and technological head astatine Resound Research for Reproductive Health. White was nan lead writer connected nan investigation insubstantial released Wednesday. “Other providers person counted connected them to do so. They conscionable don’t person nan capacity to measurement successful and capable nan spot that Planned Parenthood has had successful nan information net.”

In particular, White said, group will astir apt struggle to entree contraception. After Texas started to crystal Planned Parenthood retired of its Medicaid programme much than a decade ago, placements of contraceptive implants and IUDs – 2 of nan astir effective methods of commencement power – fell by much than a 3rd successful counties that had a Planned Parenthood clinic. That indicated that those who had utilized Medicaid to get contraception astatine Planned Parenthood were nary longer doing so. Provision of injectable contraceptives besides fell; among group who utilized it, births covered by Medicaid roseate by almost a third.

Republicans person agelong sought to defund Planned Parenthood complete nan organization’s committedness to providing abortions. But Planned Parenthood does not trust connected Medicaid to money its abortion proviso arsenic it is already forbidden to usage national dollars, including Medicaid, to salary for nan immense mostly of abortions. The 1.5m visits documented successful Wednesday’s investigation paper, which was published successful nan aesculapian diary Jama, only see visits for reasons different than abortion.

More than 80 cardinal group successful nan US usage Medicaid, and 11% of female Medicaid beneficiaries who are betwixt nan ages of 15 and 49 and who person family-planning services spell to Planned Parenthood, according to an study by nan non-profit KFF, which tracks healthcare policy. But defunding Planned Parenthood will astir apt deed bluish states hardest, since they are location to larger numbers of Medicaid beneficiaries.

About 50% of nan group who sojourn Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, which operates clinics successful California, usage Medicaid successful immoderate way, experts told nan Guardian. If nan defunding moves forward, nan connection would suffer astir $50m, aliases half of its budget. It already went without Medicaid reimbursements for astir 5 weeks earlier this year.

“It was a really stressful clip for my staff. They person fees and bills to pay. And immoderate of them astir apt were wondering if they would still person a job,” recalled Dr Janet Jacobson, nan affiliate’s aesculapian head and vice-president of objective services.

“It’s difficult not to return national authorities that fundamentally comes retired and names you and threatens you and tries to defund you personally.”

Jacobson is peculiarly worried astir nan early of a programme astatine Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties that screens astir 100,000 patients annually for sexually transmitted infections.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, nan connection uncovered much than 1,500 affirmative tests for syphilis, arsenic good arsenic almost 400 cases of trichomoniasis successful pregnant women. Both STIs – which often do not person symptoms successful their early stages – tin person devastating consequences for pregnant women and their babies, specified arsenic preterm commencement and commencement defects.

“They haven’t been capable to prohibition abortion outright, truthful they’re trying to return distant nan money for services for illustration crab screening, STI testing, commencement control, and fundamentally trying to unopen america down that measurement truthful that we can’t supply abortion,” said Nichole Ramirez, elder vice-president of connection and philanthropist relations astatine Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties.

“They’re taking distant this captious attraction from mostly underserved communities. They’re consenting to person an summation successful STIs, person a imaginable summation successful crab rates truthful that they tin effort to get free of abortion.”