Texas wants Planned Parenthood to repay millions of dollars
AUSTIN, Texas –
Texas needs Planned Parenthood to provide again tens of millions of {dollars} in Medicaid reimbursements — and pay way more in fines on high of that — in a lawsuit that seems to be the primary of its type introduced by a state in opposition to the most important abortion supplier within the U.S.
A listening to was set for Tuesday in entrance of U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who earlier this yr put entry to the most typical methodology of abortion within the U.S. in limbo with a ruling that invalidated approval of the abortion tablet mifepristone.
The case now earlier than him in America’s greatest purple state doesn’t encompass abortion, which has been banned in Texas because the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade final yr. But Planned Parenthood argues the try to recoup not less than US$17 million in Medicaid funds for well being providers, together with most cancers screenings, is a brand new effort to weaken the group after years of Republican-led legal guidelines that stripped funding and imposed restrictions on how its clinics function.
At difficulty is cash Planned Parenthood obtained for well being providers earlier than Texas eliminated the group from the state’s Medicaid program in 2021. Texas had begun making an attempt to oust Planned Parenthood 4 years earlier and is in search of compensation for providers billed throughout that point.
“This baseless case is an active effort to shut down Planned Parenthood health centres,” mentioned Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Texas introduced the lawsuit beneath the federal False Claims Act, which permits fines for each alleged improper cost. Planned Parenthood says that might end in a judgement in extra of US$1 billion.
It just isn’t clear when Kacsmaryk will rule.
The lawsuit was introduced final yr by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s now quickly suspended from workplace pending the end result of his impeachment trial subsequent month over accusations of bribery and abuse of workplace.
Spokespersons for the workplace didn’t return a message in search of remark Monday. Last yr, Paxton mentioned it was “unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it.”
Jacob Elberg, a former federal prosecutor who specialised in well being care fraud, described Texas’ argument as weak.
He referred to as the False Claims Act the federal government’s strongest device in opposition to well being fraud. Cases involving the regulation lately have included a well being information firm in Florida and a Montana well being clinic that submitted false asbestos claims.
Elberg mentioned it’s “hard to understand” how Planned Parenthood was knowingly submitting false claims at a time when it was in courtroom preventing to remain in this system and Texas was nonetheless paying the reimbursements.
“This just isn’t what the False Claims Act is supposed to be about,” mentioned Elberg, school director at Seton Hall Law School’s Centre for Health & Pharmaceutical Law.
Planned Parenthood has roughly three dozen well being clinics in Texas. One has closed because the Supreme Court ruling final yr that allowed Texas to ban abortion.
