The federal government has warned Texas that it cannot block Medicaid participants from “qualified providers of their choice” or because of the provider’s “scope of practice.” In doing so, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has essentially put the state on notice that it is fooling no one on the reasons it is trying to oust Planned Parenthood from the program.
As HHS has pointed out, Planned Parenthood is that provider of choice for millions of low-income Texas women. They rely on the organization for preventive services ranging from cancer screenings to contraception.
Even through the obfuscation, Texas has made quite clear that its objections are all about abortion. It did this by first citing alleged infractions stemming from a disputed undercover videotape that purports to show Planned Parenthood manipulating abortions to result in the best fetal tissue for medical research — sold at a profit.
Source: Preordained judgment on Medicaid defunding? SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS