The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Wednesday over South Carolina’s effort to keep Planned Parenthood facilities from receiving Medicaid funding if they perform abortions, part of a dispute that could impact Congress’ ability to mandate coverage in the program.
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit to challenge the state’s decision that they did not qualify for Medicaid reimbursements, seeking to enforce a provision in federal law that says recipients can receive care from “any qualified provider.”
The central question for the justices is whether Congress created a right for Planned Parenthood or other groups to file such a lawsuit, which involves how explicit Congress must be if it wants to allow such a right. A ruling for Planned Parenthood would mean the group can continue to pursue its lawsuit at a lower court.
