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Board votes to support lawsuits defending Medicaid reimbursements to clinics
Summary
San Diego supervisors authorized county counsel to join legal efforts defending Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood and similar providers, citing potential loss of care for Medi-Cal patients; the measure passed with two supervisors dissenting.
San Diego County supervisors voted Tuesday to authorize county counsel to support litigation defending Medicaid reimbursements for clinics that also provide abortion services.
The move directs county counsel to join or support lawsuits (typically via amicus briefs) challenging a federal budget provision, cited in the meeting as HR 1, that blocks Medicaid reimbursement to nonprofit clinics that provide abortion services. Chair Tara Lawson Riemer framed the item as protecting access to preventive care—including cancer screenings, birth control and STI testing—for people who rely on Planned Parenthood and similar providers.
Supporters: Planned Parenthood representatives and public-health advocates said the change would jeopardize care for thousands of Medi-Cal patients. Planned Parenthood officials told the board their affiliate sees roughly 130,000 patients annually in the region and that about 80% of those patients use Medi-Cal.
Opposition and vote: During debate some supervisors and callers criticized the item as partisan or redundant with existing attorney-general actions. The motion passed with Supervisors Anderson and Desmond voting no; the other supervisors voted aye.
Next steps: County counsel will proceed with implementing the board's direction, which staff said would primarily take the form of an amicus brief in pending litigation.
