Planned Parenthood Patients Lose Texas Medicaid Program Appeal

Individual patients can’t bring a civil rights lawsuit challenging a Texas determination that a Planned Parenthood affiliate isn’t qualified to provide Medicaid services, the Fifth Circuit ruled Monday, vacating a preliminary injunction issued in their favor.

The decision by 16 active judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overruled a previous ruling by a three-judge panel, and held that patients don’t have standing to bring civil rights challenges under the Medicaid Act. Whether a provider is qualified is a matter to be resolved between the state or federal government and the provider.

In ruling this way, ...