Planned Parenthood files legal challenge to protect Medicaid funding in South Carolina

Source: NBC News

Aug. 21, 2025, 9:11 PM EDT


A new legal challenge from Planned Parenthood seeks to preserve Medicaid payments for its health centers in South Carolina after a Supreme Court decision put the federal funding in jeopardy.

On Thursday, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic filed an amended complaint in federal court challenging the constitutionality of executive orders from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster that block Medicaid reimbursements for organizations providing abortions, even though the funds are used to provide other medical care. The South Carolina clinics provide services such as contraception, cancer screenings, annual exams and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

“This case is about Planned Parenthood’s provision of essential health care services, other than abortion, to its patients in South Carolina,” the complaint states, noting that terminating the provider from Medicaid “will have a devastating impact on its ability to provide a wide range of non-abortion health care.”

The state’s action is especially harmful because many counties lack OB-GYN providers, the complaint states, and some providers are reluctant to accept Medicaid due to its low reimbursement rates. “Our government should be expanding Medicaid providers, recruiting Medicaid providers instead of kicking them out,” said Vicki Ringer, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which serves South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/planned-parenthood-medicaid-funding-south-carolina-complaint-filed-rcna225949