The U.S. Supreme Court just handed a big win to Republican-led states like South Carolina, ruling that Medicaid patients can’t sue when states drop Planned Parenthood from the program—even if they rely on it for services like birth control, pregnancy testing, and cancer screenings.
This 6-3 decision came down Thursday and wasn’t directly about abortion. It centered on whether patients could use the courts to fight back when states try to strip away Medicaid coverage from providers like Planned Parenthood. The answer: No.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the conservative majority, said patients don’t have the right to enforce Medicaid’s “freedom of provider” clause in court. Instead, they’ll need to navigate state bureaucracies if they want to challenge denied care.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, who first pushed to cut Planned Parenthood’s funding in 2018, celebrated the decision. He had been blocked by a lawsuit from Julie Edwards, a diabetic patient who depends on Planned Parenthood for birth control to avoid life-threatening pregnancy risks.
Now, the Supreme Court has shut the door on patients like Edwards using the legal system to fight back.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson didn’t hold back in her dissent. She said the ruling will “strip countless Medicaid recipients” of their right to choose their doctor, calling it a direct hit to people’s ability to get care when they need it most.
Planned Parenthood gets about $90,000 a year in Medicaid funding from South Carolina—not much in the state’s overall budget, but critical for those relying on its services. With this ruling, other Republican states may now follow South Carolina’s lead.
Rural communities could suffer most, especially where Planned Parenthood is often the only Medicaid provider available for miles.
So what does this all mean? If you’re on Medicaid and depending on Planned Parenthood for anything from a pap smear to a pregnancy test, you might now have to fight through red tape—or travel farther to find help. And if your state wants to drop Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, this ruling just made it a lot easier.
Stay locked in—this decision could shape healthcare access for millions.
