AG James Wins Court Order Blocking Federal Attempt to Cut Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding

New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a major legal victory in the fight to protect reproductive health care access, winning a federal court order that stops the U.S. government from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood.

The ruling, issued Tuesday by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, prevents enforcement of a provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that would bar Medicaid funds from flowing to nonprofit clinics that provide abortions and receive significant Medicaid reimbursement — a combination that overwhelmingly applies to Planned Parenthood.

James joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania in suing the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year. The coalition argued the federal measure was unlawful and would disrupt essential health services, especially for low-income families who rely on community clinics.

“This administration’s attempt to target and defund Planned Parenthood is as dangerous as it is illegal,” James said. “Planned Parenthood provides invaluable health care services for millions of people throughout the country. I will not allow this administration to threaten New Yorkers’ health care and reproductive freedom with its political games.”

Planned Parenthood is a key provider in New York’s Medicaid network. In 2023, more than 89,000 Medicaid recipients across the state obtained care at Planned Parenthood clinics. Services range from cancer screenings and STI treatment to family planning and preventive care — services that public health experts say would be severely disrupted if clinics were forced to close or absorb the loss of federal funding.

The preliminary injunction orders HHS to continue reimbursing Medicaid claims from Planned Parenthood and to maintain full Medicaid funding for all states involved in the lawsuit while the case continues.

States joining the lawsuit include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania.