By The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear a case this week that could be a disaster for Planned Parenthood, influencing how how states handle Medicaid funding that goes to the biggest abortion provider in the country.
The legal challenge stems from a 2018 decision by South Carolina to block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. State officials argued that public funds should not go to organizations associated with abortion, even if the funding supports unrelated health services. A ruling in favor of South Carolina could prompt other states to adopt similar measures, intensifying financial strain on Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading abortion provider, according to The Daily Caller.
“All the money that Planned Parenthood gets from the South Carolina Medicaid program to pay for overhead are monies that it can then use to perform more abortions,” Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel John Bursch, who will be arguing the case on the state’s behalf, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The people of South Carolina don’t want to subsidize an abortion provider, just as most people around the country do not.”
Planned Parenthood claims the state violated the free-choice-of provider provision in the Medicaid Act. South Carolina argues the provision doesn’t give them grounds to sue.
Abortion is not the only objection states may have to Planned Parenthood, though it is the focus of the case. Planned Parenthood is now the second-largest provider of gender transition drugs.
“Since 2010, their cancer screening and prevention services have dropped 71%, their breast exams have declined 72%, pap smears have declined 74%. Just in one year, from 2022 to 2023, their preventative care visits fell 31%,” Bursch told the DCNF. “What they’re really good at is abortions, contraception and dangerous gender transition drugs. There are plenty of other places that people can go in South Carolina that are Medicaid approved that will provide much more comprehensive services.”
This case comes at a difficult time for Planned Parenthood, which is facing increased political scrutiny and financial instability. A recent New York Times investigation raised concerns about the organization’s quality of care, with patients reporting rushed appointments, procedural mistakes, and a shift in focus from clinical care to national political advocacy.
In many ways, some might argue the organization has become something akin to a money laundering organization that takes public healthcare funds and donations and distributes them to Democrats.
“Planned Parenthood is synonymous with the fight to preserve abortion rights. But it is also the health care provider of last resort to millions of the poorest Americans. Its clinics offer cancer screenings, birth control, annual gynecological exams and prenatal care, regardless of whether patients can afford to pay. The organization is unique in its reach, one of the few health care providers with a presence in all 50 states.
But a New York Times review of clinic documents and legal filings, as well as interviews with more than 50 current and former Planned Parenthood executives, consultants and medical staff members, found that some clinics are so short of cash that care has suffered. Many operate with aging equipment and poorly trained staff, as turnover has increased because of rock-bottom salaries. Patient counts have shrunk from a high of five million and 900 clinics in the 1990s to 2.1 million patients and 600 clinics today.
The lack of resources is startling: Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Planned Parenthood has enjoyed a fund-raising boom, with $498 million in donations that year. But little of it goes to the state affiliates to provide health care at clinics. Instead, under the national bylaws, the majority of the money is spent on the legal and political fight to maintain abortion rights.
Employees at various affiliates said it was common to run out of over-the-counter pain medication and I.V. flushes. Salaries are so low that it is not unusual for staff members to qualify for Medicaid and federal food assistance.”
In 2022, Planned Parenthood claimed to spend $50 million to help Democrats in the midterms. In 2024, that number dropped to $40 million, still a sizable amount–all going to pro-choice Democrats.
The justices’ decision in this case is expected to set a nationwide precedent, clarifying whether states have the authority to exclude certain providers from Medicaid funding. With lower courts currently divided, the ruling will likely provide a definitive answer on how far states can go in shaping their Medicaid programs and could influence healthcare access for millions and the bankrolls of Democratic campaigns across the country in 2026.
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