Women's Health Disaster in Texas

In an effort to punish Planned Parenthood (because it provides abortions), the state of Texas has prohibited the organization from treating Medicaid patients. This violates federal law funding Medicaid by discriminating against providers on the basis of a non-Medicaid paid service.

The result is that under federal law, Medicaid funding for Texas must be terminated.

This jeopardizes health care for 130,000 low income women in Texas who rely on Planned Parenthood for services like cancer screening.

Republicans are blaming the Obama administration, but it has been pointed out by the Huffington Post:

But an HHS spokesperson told reporters on Thursday that this was not Obama's decision and that the administration's hands are tied on the issue. “Medicaid law is very clear; a state may not restrict patients’ choice of providers of services like mammograms and other cancer screenings, if those providers are qualified to deliver care covered by Medicaid. Patients, not state government officials, should be able to choose the doctors and other health care providers that are best for them and their families. In 2005, Texas requested this same authority to restrict patients’ choices, and the Bush Administration did not grant it to them either.”