California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Planned Parenthood South Atlantic v. Medina. The court, in a 6-3 decision, determined that Medicaid recipients do not have an individual right to choose their healthcare providers under the Medicaid Act’s free-choice-of-provider provision. This ruling was based on the interpretation that Congress did not clearly grant enforceable individual rights through the any-qualified-provider provision.
The case originated when South Carolina ended Planned Parenthood South Atlantic’s participation in Medicaid because it performed abortions outside of the program. Consequently, Planned Parenthood had to stop accepting Medicaid patients.
Attorney General Bonta criticized the decision, stating: “Congress expressly granted patients the right to choose a qualified doctor or provider they trust while seeking medical care. Today’s decision got it wrong: It strips choice out of the hands of patients and allows politicians to block patients from making their own decisions about their own healthcare.”
Bonta expressed concern over the potential negative effects on low-income residents and other Medicaid beneficiaries who rely on Planned Parenthood for essential services such as physical exams, pregnancy testing and counseling, and screenings for various health conditions.
He affirmed California’s commitment to defending patient access to trusted providers like Planned Parenthood. Previously, Bonta joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting Medicaid recipients’ rights to select their preferred qualified providers.
