Maine Network Ends Primary Care After Losing Medicaid Due To Trump Defunding Planned Parenthood - Beritaja

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A web of aesculapian clinics that serves low-income residents successful Maine said it will unopen down its superior attraction operations connected Friday because of Trump management cuts to abortion providers.

Maine Family Planning operates 18 clinics successful the authorities and says abortions are a comparatively mini percent of its wide services, which besides see crab screenings, sexually transmitted illness testing and contraception. The web said it had to trim superior attraction because of the administration’s move to artifact Medicaid money from abortion providers including the overmuch larger Planned Parenthood.

The move to defund abortion providers is driving patients distant from their doctors successful Maine, said George Hill, president of Maine Family Planning. The web saw much than 600 patients successful its superior attraction practices past year, Hill said.

“Telling those patients we can’t spot them anymore has been devastating, particularly knowing that immoderate of them will find it excessively difficult to get a caller supplier and whitethorn conscionable forego care,” Hill said.

Maine Family Planning serves galore of the mediocre and agrarian areas of the authorities and typically receives about $1.9 cardinal successful Medicaid reimbursements per year, the web said successful a statement. The web said it notified its patients of the coming superior attraction closures about a period ago. The web has about 8,000 patients successful total.

Maine Family Planning fought the halting of Medicaid dollars successful national court, but it suffered a setback successful August erstwhile a national judge ruled against restoring backing during the network’s ongoing suit against the Trump administration. The web appealed to a higher court, and that ineligible conflict is still ongoing.

The Center for Reproductive Rights revenge the lawsuit successful national tribunal connected behalf of the network, and said Friday it will proceed to conflict to reconstruct the funding. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, called the nonaccomplishment of backing for Maine Family Planning “part of a larger strategy to unopen down clinics moreover successful states for illustration Maine that protect the correct to abortion.”