The State of Indiana had passed a law that would not have allowed any Medicaid money to be received by Planned Parenthood within the state, due to the fact that Planned Parenthood as an organization also provides abortion services. A lower court ruling on this law stated that the Indiana law violated Medicaid beneficiaries’ right to freely choose their medical provider.
The State then appealed the lower court decision to the Supreme Court of The United States of America, who upon review of this appeal declined to hear this case, leaving intact the lower courts ruling that said the Indiana law violated Medicaid beneficiaries’ right to freely choose their medical provider.
More below the gothic squiggle thingy.
[http://www.usatoday.com/...]From USA Today:
The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to wade back into one of its most controversial subjects: abortion.
The court refused to consider Indiana's appeal of a lower court decision striking down its denial of Medicaid funds to health care providers that perform abortions. The law was challenged by Planned Parenthood,
While federal and state laws block the use of government funds to perform most abortions, the Indiana ban went further by denying Medicaid funds for other purposes as well. In order to receive Medicaid funds, providers would have to create separate entities for their abortion services. Hospitals were excluded from the law.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago ruled that the ban on Medicaid funds was unwarranted because it was not related to Planned Parenthood's ability to perform medical services. But it upheld a ban on federal block grant funds. The high court will let both rulings stand.
No doubt there is much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in
right-wing-istan today, yet nothing new there, just another day for the
Keep Government in Your Womb, but out of my Medicare team.
Good news is always welcome, and this is very good news indeed, imho.