Last week, Maryland became the first state to pass a law that would reimburse Planned Parenthood clinic for healthcare services—even if Congress defunds them. Despite having a Republican governor, the state’s General Assembly has enough Democrats that made the bill veto-proof.
CBS News reports:
Under the new measure, Maryland will mitigate any federal cuts to Planned Parenthood by directing $2 million from the state’s Medicaid budget and $700,000 for the state’s general fund to family planning services. These measures would sustain operations at the state’s nine health centers and protect access to preventative care services for nearly 25,000 patients.
This is a great move to provide some comfort and stability amidst a lot of fear around access to Planned Parenthood services, which is important considering a big chunk of its patients are low-income.