Supreme Court to Review South Carolina's Medicaid Funding Ban on Planned Parenthood

The case will examine whether federal Medicaid law guarantees patients the right to choose providers like Planned Parenthood, which also offer abortion services.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging South Carolina's 2018 decision to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood due to its provision of abortion services.
The case focuses on whether Medicaid's 'free-choice-of-provider' provision guarantees beneficiaries the right to access care from any qualified provider, regardless of state restrictions.
Planned Parenthood argues that South Carolina's policy violates federal law, which allows Medicaid patients to choose their healthcare providers if they meet legal qualifications.
South Carolina officials contend that states have the authority to determine which providers qualify for Medicaid funding and argue that federal law does not explicitly allow individuals to sue states over such decisions.
The Court's decision, expected by June 2025, could have broader implications for Medicaid funding policies in other states with similar restrictions on providers offering abortion-related services.