Texas Terminates Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid Provider Contract for No Reason

Texas has informed Planned Parenthood clinics in the state that they will be longer be reimbursed for providing basic Medicaid services.

Long after the anti-Planned Parenthood videos have been debunked, long after other states already decided to go this route (and lost), and long after congressional Republicans have moved on from the primary accusations against Planned Parenthood -- Texas will open itself up to a federal lawsuit.

From the Associated Press:

Planned Parenthood affiliates statewide were told in a letter that their enrollment in the joint state-federal Medicaid program was in the process of being terminated because they were potentially "liable, directly or by affiliation, for a series of serious Medicaid program violations." The five-page letter was sent by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General.

In the state government's own words, they don't know if Planned Parenthood is guilty of anything. The letter essentially says the program is being terminated based on the possibility that Planned Parenthood is guilty of crimes to be determined.

That state is not actually aware of any specific violations.

The problem for the state government is this is more than likely illegal. A Medicaid provider contract cannot be unilaterally terminated under federal law without good cause and the state has basically said that there may be a good cause but they don't know for sure.

That isn't going to hold up in a federal court just as it hasn't held up in neighboring Louisiana where Governor Bobby Jindal's order to terminate Planned Parenthood's Medicaid provider contract was halted by a federal judge.

Not a single state or federal investigation has found any evidence of wrongdoing at Planned Parenthood clinics.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R) has admitted that an investigation of Planned Parenthood's finances uncovered no evidence of some illegal fetus market. Planned Parenthood has also announced that it will no longer accept reimbursement for the cost of transferring tissue to research labs.