California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the case of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Medina, which affects Medicaid recipients’ ability to choose their healthcare providers. The 6-3 decision determined that Medicaid beneficiaries do not have a private right to receive care from any institution deemed qualified under the Medicaid Act’s free-choice-of-provider provision.
The case originated when South Carolina removed Planned Parenthood South Atlantic from its Medicaid program due to its abortion services conducted outside the program, leading Planned Parenthood to turn away Medicaid patients.
Attorney General Bonta criticized the ruling, stating, “Congress expressly granted patients the right to choose a qualified doctor or provider they trust while seeking medical care. Today’s decision got it wrong: It strips choice out of the hands of patients and allows politicians to block patients from making their own decisions about their own healthcare.”
Bonta emphasized that this decision could adversely affect low-income residents in South Carolina and other Medicaid beneficiaries who rely on Planned Parenthood for essential health services like physical exams and screenings for various conditions. He reaffirmed California’s commitment to defending patient access to trusted providers such as Planned Parenthood.
Attorney General Bonta had previously joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting Medicaid recipients’ rights to select their preferred qualified providers.
