A judge has ruled that a lawsuit Texas filed against the nation’s biggest abortion business can move forward.
Texas officials have filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood saying that the abortion business filed millions in false Medicaid claims for which it improperly received taxpayer reimbursement. With the repayments, damages and fines, the abortion chain could face a $1.8 billion judgment.
I n 2021, a Texas judge allowed the state to defund Planned Parenthood and kick the abortion giant out of its state Medicaid program.
Medicaid is the largest stream of taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood, and, in Texas, that funding was supposed to be cut off in after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state, agreeing that Texas can kick out Planned Parenthood from the program for violating the law. The decision to defund Planned Parenthood came after the abortion business was exposed selling the body parts of aborted babies.
Now, two years later, Texas wants to recover the taxpayer funds Planned Parenthood improperly received during that time period so they can be used to help Texas residents. The state not only wants the $17 million it says the abortion company owes the state, but damages, fees and fines could total $1 billion once a full judgment is rendered as Texas brought the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act, which allows fines for every improper payment.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk,based in Amarillo, ruled that the case must go to trial.
Judge Kacsmaryk ruled that Planned Parenthood is obligated to return some funds to Texas and Louisiana. A trial will decide how much.
The case appears to be a first of its kind to recover taxpayer funds from the nation;s biggest abortion business. Judge Kacsmaryk is the judge who issued a ruling halting the mifepristone abortion pill because of the damage it has caused women.
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The state argues Planned Parenthood should not have received taxpayer dollars after Texas defunded it while its lawsuit against the pro-life defunding law played out in court. The state said it was “unthinkable that Planned Parenthood would continue to take advantage of funding knowing they were not entitled to keep it.”
“This baseless case is an active effort to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Defunding happened after Planned Parenthood ran afoul of the law in selling aborted baby parts.
According to Texas Right to Life: “Medicaid providers in Texas are required to follow Texas Medicaid policies and federal and state law. The Texas Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found Planned Parenthood violated federal regulations by altering abortion procedures to harvest baby body parts. Thus, the OIG terminated Planned Parenthood’s provider contract.”
Jennifer Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, said Texans have much better options for health care than abortion groups like Planned Parenthood.
“There are hundreds of providers throughout the state of Texas willing to serve poor women with authentic healthcare services that are not also peddling abortion,” Allmon said. “The Texas Pregnancy Care Network has a list of such providers throughout the state and if these providers do not accept Medicaid, they can make referrals to life-affirming Medicaid providers who can offer genuine healthcare to women in need.”
