NPR interviewed Cindy Mann, a partner in the firm's Healthcare practice, for an article on the difficulty of defunding Planned Parenthood in states where it is still required to receive funding as part of the Medicaid program.
According to NPR, defunding Planned Parenthood has become a hot issue among antiabortion Republicans running for President, with many candidates claiming to have defunded the program in their respective states. While funding has been reduced in states such as Governor Chris Christie's New Jersey, Governor Rick Perry's Texas, and former Governor Jeb Bush's Florida, Planned Parenthood clinics continue to collect funds on both the state and federal levels. This is, in large part, due to a Medicaid program requirement, from which Planned Parenthood receives most of its government money.
"There's a requirement in the [Medicaid] statute for free choice of providers," said Mann. "The only way you can limit the provider is to establish that they're not, in fact, qualified as a Medicaid provider."
Read the article here.