On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by two states — Kansas and Louisiana — that want to cut Medicaid funds from providers like Planned Parenthood.
The decision to not hear the appeal means that the ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stands. The Appeals Court told Kansas in 2017 that “states may not terminate providers from their Medicaid program for any reason they see fit, especially when that reason is unrelated to the provider’s competence and the quality of the health care it provides.”
Current law under the Hyde amendment already prevents federal funding from covering abortions with exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the woman. At issue was whether Medicaid patients could sue if states blocked coverage of a provider’s services like cancer screenings and contraception.
Two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sided with the more liberal justices in rejecting the appeal.
Image Credits: USA Today
