Overview
- Primary care ended Friday at Maine Family Planning sites in Ellsworth, Houlton and Presque Isle, affecting roughly 800 patients.
- Under H.R.1 signed by President Donald Trump, providers that topped $800,000 in 2023 Medicaid reimbursements cannot bill Medicaid; MFP typically received about $1.9 million annually.
- The network operates 18 clinics serving about 8,000 patients statewide, and its primary care practice saw more than 600 patients last year.
- A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction in August; Maine Family Planning and the Center for Reproductive Rights have appealed to the First Circuit to restore funding.
- Staff report that rural patients could face hours of travel and six-to-eight-month waits for new care, and MFP says reproductive health services continue for now but could be jeopardized without Medicaid dollars.