Monday, Texas cut Medicaid to Planned Parenthood providers.
“Texas has stepped forward and shown its unyielding commitment to both protecting life and providing women’s health services,” said Governor Abbott. “The gruesome harvesting of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood will not be allowed in Texas and the barbaric practice must be brought to an end. As such, ending the Medicaid participation of Planned Parenthood affiliates in the State of Texas is another step in providing greater access to safe healthcare for women while protecting our most vulnerable – the unborn.”
Thursday, Texas health officials subpoenaed patient and employee records from five Planned Parenthood clinics across the state.
According to the Houston Chronicle:
Officials with the inspector general’s office at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission went to two facilities in Houston as well as clinics in Dallas, San Antonio and Brownsville. The Brownsville center does not perform abortions.The subpoenas asked for a variety of records at many different clinics between November 2010 and September of this year, according to a copy obtained by the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News.It is unclear why the inspector general’s office is seeking the records — a spokesman declined to comment — but the effort may be related to the state’s decision to cut Planned Parenthood out of Medicaid.Inspector General Stuart Bowen informed Planned Parenthood of that decision Monday, saying a controversial undercover video had showed program violations. Bowen also said the state had evidence that the organization had committed Medicaid fraud.
Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reported at least one clinic received a deadline extension. From the Washington Times:
Planned Parenthood said Friday that at least one Texas clinic is getting more time to answer a subpoena from state health investigators that seeks hundreds of pages of staff and patient records.Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla said the clinic now has until Oct. 30 to respond to a request for documents going back five years.
As we reported Tuesday, the Gulf Coast location responded to the Medicaid severance with fundraising emails.
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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