BREAKING!!
HE FINALLY DID IT!!
They've Been DEFUNDED!
As the government was shut down on Friday something else shutdown as well.
It will make Democrats even angrier than they already are.
The Trump administration rescinded guidance from the former Obama administration which
made it difficult for states to hinder Planned Parenthood funding.
The guidance was worded such that it warned states that ending Medicaid funding for Planned
Parenthood or various other healthcare service providers that provide abortions services
would be against the federal law.
The former administration made the argument that the laws surrounding Medicaid only allowed
states to bar providers from the program if the providers were not able to provide or
perform covered services or if they were unable to bill payment for those services.
President Trump rescinded the guidance in the form of a letter to Medicaid directors.
In the letter, he argued that the guidance was nothing more than President Obama's
attempts to favor and give preference to abortion rights advocates such as Planned Parenthood.
Charmaine Yoest, assistant Health and Human Services said Friday morning in a conference
call, "Reinstating the pre-2016 standards frees
up states to once again decide for themselves what reasonable standards they use to protect
Medicaid programs and their beneficiaries.
This is part of the Trump administration's effort to roll back regulations the Obama
administration put out to radically favor abortion."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group in
Washington, D.C. said in response, "President Trump and his administration
have taken … an important step toward getting American taxpayers out of funding the abortion
industry, especially Planned Parenthood.
Finish what this pro-life administration has started by defunding Planned Parenthood."
States such as Texas have attempted to ban Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid programs
in the state.
However, under law they were blocked by the Obama administration.
Now, rescinding this Obama-era guidance won't automatically allow states to ban Planned
Parenthood from their Medicaid programs but it signals the possibility it could happen
as well as the administration's support for it.
The Hill reported, "Texas submitted a request to the Trump
administration last year requesting permission to bar Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid
program, but the administration has not yet responded.
Approval from the administration would likely spark similar efforts in other conservatives
states but also would encourage legal challenges.
Planned Parenthood on Friday said rescinding the guidance would effectively encouraging
states to block the organization from state Medicaid programs.
"They couldn't get the votes to pass it in Congress, so now they are pushing states
to try and block care at Planned Parenthood," said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president
for Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
"Without Planned Parenthood, many of our patients would lose access to health care
altogether — either because there are no other providers in their community or because
other clinics cannot serve all of our patients."
The administration has already taken several actions in President Trump's first year
in office supporting its anti-abortion stance.
In April, Trump signed legislation that nullified an Obama-era rule that effectively barred
state and local governments from withholding federal funding for family planning services
to groups that provide abortions.
The announcement on Friday comes the same day as the March for Life, an annual march
against abortion in Washington, D.C. Trump is set to speak at the march live via video,
the first president to do so.
Also set to speak at the event are House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and GOP Reps. Jaime Herrera
Beutler (Wash.) and Chris Smith (N.J.)"
While Reuters reported, "The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) officials also said the department was issuing a new regulation aimed at protecting
healthcare workers' civil rights based on religious and conscience objections.
The regulation protects the rights of healthcare workers from providing abortion, euthanasia,
and sterilization, the officials said during a media call with reporters.
On Thursday, HHS said it was creating a new division that would focus on conscience and
religious objections, a move it said was necessary after years of the federal government forcing
healthcare workers to provide such services.
HHS will issue a letter on Friday to state Medicaid offices rescinding 2016 guidance
that the Obama administration gave after states including Indiana had tried to defund abortion
providers such as Planned Parenthood.
"You are watching a struggle over abortion politics," said Robin Wilson, a professor
at University of Illinois College of Law.
"In a sense you're allowing state Medicaid regulators, through regulation, to reopen
a whole can of worms around women's health."
Wilson said the impact could be immediate in states which, before the Obama-era guidance,
had been working to effectively defund or limit funding to providers such as Planned
Parenthood, which provide abortions but bill them separately so that they are not paid
for by Medicaid.
Dawn Laguens, executive vice president for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said the
move encourages states to block access to care at Planned Parenthood.
"The law is clear: it is illegal to bar women from seeking care at Planned Parenthood.
Longstanding protections within Medicaid safeguard every person's right to access care at their
qualified provider of choice," Laguens said in a statement."
In reality what President Trump has done is genius.
Because with the government shutdown nobody is talking about this latest development with
Medicaid and Planned Parenthood.
This has gone relatively unnoticed and unreported on and even when it is reported on it is not
being discussed.
There is no doubt the President has been doing this all along.
While people are focusing on stupid things or the big headline catcher of the moment,
he is secretly doing the most important things behind closed doors.
What do you think about this?
Please share this news and scroll down to Comment below and don't forget to subscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment