Austin, Texas – October 19, 2015: Texas officials have moved to cut Planned Parenthood from Medicaid programs entirely. The decision comes after months of investigation following the release of undercover video footage by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) that documented abortion clinic executives and workers. The videos show evidence of abortionists manipulating abortion procedures in order to maximize the sale of aborted fetal tissue plus violations of medical sanitation policies and laws. One of the videos released in early August was filmed in the Houston Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast location.
Today, Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas received a letter from Inspector General Stuart Bowen announcing termination of Medicaid contracts. The letter from the state Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) states in part: “Earlier this year, you committed and condoned numerous acts of misconduct captured on video that reveal repeated program violations and breach the minimum standards of care required of a Medicaid enrollee.” Three separate investigations of Texas Planned Parenthoods were launched by HHSC: one called for by Governor Greg Abbott; another called for by the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton; and the third called for by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick through the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
The letter also cites evidence of Medicaid fraud at Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas. The inspector general refers to “reliable information indicating a pattern of illegal billing practices by Planned Parenthood affiliates.” Several Planned Parenthood locations were caught and charged for fraudulent billing of Medicaid services in recent years, forcing the abortion giant into several penalties and settlements.
Since 2011, Texas Right to Life has successfully spearheaded the legislative efforts to defund the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood in Texas, and we remind state officials that Planned Parenthood still receives some state funding even if Medicaid funding is removed from the abortion industry. Texas Right to Life has prioritized the adoption of an over-arching budget-wide Pro-Life policy so that all revenue streams in the Texas budget are restricted from going to abortion providers or their affiliates.
The Medicaid contract termination letter sent by HHSC to Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates this morning outlines an appeals process that the abortion business will most likely exhaust, such as they have done in the Louisiana courts and the courts in other states where their funding is in jeopardy.