Health

Planned Parenthood of Illinois Braces for Medicaid Cuts: ‘Closures Are Not Off the Table’

President Donald Trump’s tax and budget bill that was recently signed into law, aiming to significantly cut Medicaid and federal Medicaid payments to reproductive health care providers, is “devastating” and “attacks the most vulnerable patients,” according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois Vice President of Patient Services Emily Glover.

“People who live in rural areas, people who are living in poverty, people of color, immigrants, people in LGBTQ+ communities, young people,” Glover said, listing those who would be most impacted by cuts. “People who already have a lot of barriers to accessing health care, in general, let alone sexual and reproductive health care.”

Nearly 30,000, or more than 40%, of Planned Parenthood of Illinois patients use Medicaid to access health care services at Planned Parenthood’s health centers, according to the organization. Without Medicaid, leaders at the organization said it would need $16 million annually to continue providing services at its current level.

“Losing significant funding, always, is a concern,” Glover said. “Anytime that level of funding is in jeopardy, additional health center closures are not off the table. It is always a possibility. It is a last-resort option; it’s something we don’t wanna have to do.”

On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a portion of its budget and tax bill — which was passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump last week — that would have barred federal Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. The temporary injunction means Planned Parenthood can continue to receive Medicaid funding for health care services, excluding abortion, for 14 days. Federal law has long prohibited the use of federal funds, including Medicaid funds, for abortions, except in extreme cases.

Planned Parenthood has warned nearly 200 clinics nationwide could close as a result of the bill’s one-year ban on federal Medicaid payments. Of those clinics, 90% are in states where abortion is legal.

Illinois, a haven for reproductive health, continues to serve more out-of-state abortion patients than any other state since the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which in 2022 eliminated the constitutional right to abortion and opened the door to state bans and restrictions.

The recently signed law, while not explicitly mentioning Planned Parenthood by name, prohibited federal funding to large nonprofit organizations “primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care” that also serve as an abortion provider.

“Our Planned Parenthood patients use Medicaid to cover the cost of their care, and the range of services that they’re getting are birth control services, cancer screenings like Pap smears and breast exams, STI testing and treatment,” Glover said. “It’s non-controversial, core health care services that we provide, and those are the ones that are the most under threat right now.”

In its complaint against the Trump administration, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America argued the law unconstitutionally targets the organization for its role as an abortion provider and that federal funding cuts would have “devastating consequences” for patients who rely on Planned Parenthood for essential health care services.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois pledged last week to keep providing reproductive care to Medicaid patients in the immediate future despite potential funding cuts.

“What is going through my mind right now is how do we continue letting patients know that we’re here to care for them?” Glover said. “How do we continue to care for our staff who, quite frankly, are asked to respond to ever-changing political cycles and pressures and a very confusing health care landscape at the moment, while caring for patients who potentially can’t get care anywhere else?”

The organization is creating contingency plans and working with elected officials and partner organizations on how it can keep providing care for Medicaid patients, according to Glover.

Earlier this year, Planned Parenthood of Illinois announced it would close four health centers in Ottawa, Decatur, Bloomington and Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood due to a financial shortfall and an “uncertain patient care landscape” under the Trump administration.

CNN contributed to this report.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]

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