{"id":9490,"date":"2016-12-21T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2016\/12\/21\/texas-moves-to-block-planned-parenthood-from-medicaid-funds\/"},"modified":"2016-12-21T17:03:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-21T17:03:00","slug":"texas-moves-to-block-planned-parenthood-from-medicaid-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/texas-moves-to-block-planned-parenthood-from-medicaid-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Moves To Block Planned Parenthood From Medicaid Funds"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rebecca Hersher<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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A Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston. A Houston grand jury investigating undercover footage at the Houston clinic found no wrongdoing by the abortion provider, and instead indicted anti-abortion activists involved in making misleading videos about the handling of fetal tissue. Pat Sullivan\/AP<\/strong> hide caption<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pat Sullivan\/AP<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After more than a year of delays, Texas health officials are moving to block the women’s health provider Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds beginning next month.<\/p>\n

In October 2015, Texas officials told Planned Parenthood that the state intended to bar the organization from the public insurance program. Planned Parenthood responded with a lawsuit seeking an injunction<\/a> against the state.<\/p>\n

For more than a year, nothing seemed to be happening. Texas didn’t follow through on its threat, and Planned Parenthood clinics \u2014 those that are still open after years of other budget cuts<\/a> by the state Legislature \u2014 continued to provide services.<\/p>\n

Then, on Tuesday, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Stuart Bowen sent a letter notifying Planned Parenthood that the state would cut off Medicaid funding in 30 days unless the organization requests an administrative hearing with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in the next 15 days, The Texas Tribune reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The newspaper reported that Bowen’s letter referenced undercover videos recorded in Houston by anti-abortion activists who claimed they showed a Planned Parenthood executive improperly offering to sell fetal tissue. A grand jury found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood, and instead indicted two people who recorded the videos for tampering with a government record and illegally offering to purchase human organs, as The Two-Way has reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Your misconduct is directly related to whether you are qualified to provide medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal and ethical manner,” Bowen wrote in the letter, according to the Tribune<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As in past cases in which states attempted to block funding to women’s health providers, the final outcome of the state’s move will be decided by the federal courts.<\/p>\n

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