The House GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare would effectively defund Planned Parenthood

pulse

March 7, 2017 2:06 AM

Planned Parenthood would see its funding cut under the Republicans' new Obamacare replacement plan.

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House Republicans on Monday released their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare law better known as Obamacare.

Among its many provisions, the new bill, known as the American Health Care Act, seems to pull back funding for the women's health group Planned Parenthood.

The bill has a provision that does not allow states to use "direct spending" on "prohibited entities" with federal funds allocated from the AHCA.

Prohibited entities are defined in the bill as any healthcare provider that is an "essential community provider" that is "primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care" or "provides for abortions" in any case besides the life of the mother, incest, or rape.

In this case, it appears that Planned Parenthood would fall under the category of a prohibited entity.

The organization did not miss the language. Its advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, tweeted about the "GOP ACA attack" and encouraged supporters to "Fight back."

Republicans have for a long time attempted to deny Planned Parenthood funding because of its abortion services, but they have not been successful.

On the other hand, Democrats have noted that the organization provides a lot of women's health services beyond abortions and that the group is already barred from using any government funding for any abortion-related service.

The defunding is not guaranteed. The AHCA will most likely face opposition not just from Democrats but also from Republicans who may have issues with how it deals with Medicaid and tax credits for coverage.

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