A provision in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act blocked Planned Parenthood’s health centers from billing Medicaid for the other services they provide, like contraception and cancer screenings. Medicaid is their primary source of funding, and the legislation meant they lost out on more than $700 million annually.
That provision expires July 4, setting Planned Parenthood up to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding. Anti-abortion groups are pressing Republicans hard to extend it.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and regional affiliates brought more than 250 supporters for a Capitol Hill lobbying day, including patient storytellers.
Democrats “are doing all that they can. I think one of the most powerful weapons at their disposal right now is to use patient stories, and that’s where we come in,” said Jess Clem, a patient advocate from Minnesota, who spoke to lawmakers Tuesday.