Supreme Court’s Latest Ruling on Medicaid Abortion Funding
Author: Emily Argueta
Editor: Jigyasa Prabhakar
On Thursday, June 26, 2025 The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states possess the ability to block Medicaid funding to abortion providers—such as Planned Parenthood—and hospitals who offer both abortion and women’s health services. States have the opportunity to completely block such providers from Medicaid payments for unrelated services like contraception, cancer screenings and STD testing. This recent decision marks a change in the structure of reproductive healthcare access across the nation and federal—state power dynamics.
Before the Supreme Court’s latest ruling, Medicaid funds to abortion providers were already restricted due to the Hyde Amendment which stated that federal funds may only be used to fund abortion services in narrow cases. However, as a result of recent moves such as the Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, states are now able to go beyond these federal restrictions and completely block Medicaid coverage for abortion providers. The decision to block Medicaid funds to services such as Planned Parenthood clinics will have a devastating economic effect on various relief and medical related organizations. Without the adequate funds, approximately 200 Planned Parenthood clinics will be forced to shut down. This is problematic because clinics do not only provide abortion care but also access to birth control, STI testings and treatments, vaccines, cancer screenings, gynecological care and other vital health resources detrimental to women’s health. While Medicaid provides health care to a diverse patient population, most of the people that rely on the program live at or above the Federal Poverty level paired with having a background with marginalized racial and ethnic minority groups. These families rely on Medicaid for the health care they need and deserve, including abortion care. To defund means to strip women in marginalized communities of access to the proper health care they deserve, health care that they do not harness the financial stability to pay for out of pocket or travel to other states. Safe access to abortion helps women in the long run, it offers a chance to finish an education, maintain a stable job, meet their goals and, stay alive. Restricting or completely blocking access to abortion care further worsens poverty by limiting opportunities for women and families that are already struggling to make ends meet while also taking away other health care services offered by places such as Planned Parenthood. The Supreme Court’s decision is creating a two- tiered structure in abortion access being tied to one’s economic situation and state of residence.
The decision to defund abortion services paid for by Medicaid completely violates Medicaid’s ethics and policies. Medicaid has a “Free Choice of Provider” principle meaning that states can only interfere with which provider a patient considers eligible in cases of fraud or incompetence, however they cannot infringe on the patient’s rights to choose a qualified provider or restrict access to family planning services. The Supreme Court’s ruling completely undermines Medicaid’s principle giving states the ability to dictate eligible providers. Although Medicaid is federally funded and governed by national standards, there has been a long maintained balance with the individual states. By allowing states to block abortion services even when they meet federal qualifications this balance is changed and shows the shift from federal oversight towards greater state autonomy in shaping social policy. Giving states the authority to exclude qualified providers from their Medicaid programs not only involves reproductive rights but also sets a precedent that could embolden states to assert more control over other aspects of federally funded programs. This will cause a fragmented access to healthcare services available based on geography.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is resulting in fewer options for low- income communities and is making it nearly impossible to access abortion care. It is not only eliminating chances at safe abortion services but also other health services offered by said providers that have been defunded. This decision has surely caused a shift in the balance of state power regarding Medicaid services and redefines the boundaries of federal authority.
