The Trump administration is considering South Carolina’s proposal to strip government funding from all abortion providers in the state.
South Carolina’s plan, “Transitioning to Preconception Care,” would eliminate abortion providers from the state’s Medicaid program, preventing beneficiaries from using its funds for abortion procedures.
“South Carolina has made great strides in recent years to improve infant and maternal health among Medicaid beneficiaries,” Republican governor Henry McMaster wrote in a letter to the federal government. “To continue this success, we will pursue a comprehensive approach to care that manages a myriad of health services for our beneficiaries, supports clinical practices that integrate care, and promotes providers that seek to improve the collective health and well-being of both parents and children.”
The Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing such proposals from three states. Texas and Tennessee also submitted requests after the Trump administration in January canceled Obama-administration guidelines discouraging states from cutting abortion providers out of their Medicaid programs.
South Carolina’s request comes after McMaster issued an executive order in July that prohibited the state’s Medicaid program from including abortion providers. Planned Parenthood sued the state over that order, and a U.S. district judge has blocked its implementation until the lawsuit is resolved.
“We will continue to stand up for our patients, no matter what, in the face of repeated attempts by Governor McMaster to exclude Planned Parenthood South Atlantic from the state’s health care network,” Vicki Ringer, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said in a statement on Monday.
The public comment period on South Carolina’s request runs through October 7, and the administration’s decision will follow thereafter.
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