The United States Supreme Court will not hear an appeal in a case involving Kansas when it comes to Medicaid funds and Planned Parenthood.
The high court decided against hearing appeals from Kansas and Louisiana. Both states had wanted to end funding for Planned Parenthood clinics in their states.
The ruling implicitly affirms a majority of lower court rulings that say Medicaid patients can challenge a state’s decision to remove their doctor as a qualified provider. Included in that list is a 10th Circuit Court ruling from February, which said states could not remove providers from Medicaid lists if the reasons were not related to competence or health care quality.
ABC News says the cases don’t directly relate to abortion rights, but they have been viewed as litmus tests — both for women seeking access and attempts by conservatives to limit that access.
