Planned Parenthood has shut down at least 20 of its health centers across the United States since July, a move the organization attributes to steep cuts in Medicaid funding. The closures follow a provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which bars health care providers that receive more than $800,000 a year of Medicaid reimbursements and also provide abortion services from obtaining those payments. The impact is not limited to abortion care; the affected clinics also provided cancer screenings, birth control, prenatal care, and other reproductive health services.
Even before the Medicaid cuts, Planned Parenthood closed nearly 50 other clinics this year. Low-income patients are particularly vulnerable, as many rely on Medicaid for their reproductive health care, and Planned Parenthood leaders warn more locations may close without a sustainable funding model.
One of the states hardest hit is Louisiana, where Planned Parenthood shut down its only two clinics, in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, after more than 40 years of service. These centers had served thousands of patients annually for preventive care like STI testing and cancer screening. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast CEO, Melaney Linton, said that these closures are “not the result of a lack of need” but of “relentless political assaults” and the impossibility of operating sustainably under the new Medicaid rule. In a state with a near abortion ban, there are now even fewer options for any form of reproductive healthcare.
The broader political context compounds this problem. In addition to the Medicaid cut, the Trump administration has frozen over $65 million in Title X family planning funds, affecting multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide. These Title X dollars previously supported key reproductive health services, particularly for low-income patients.
Some Planned Parenthood affiliates have taken legal action in response. A federal judge reinstated a temporary block on enforcing the Medicaid ban, signaling that courts may view the restriction as unconstitutional. Meanwhile, lawmakers in at least seven states have stepped up to fill the gaps of Planned Parenthood’s funding. These states include California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Washington where abortion remains legal.
The Medicaid cuts extend beyond Planned Parenthood itself. In Maine, a network of clinics called Maine Family Planning, which also relied on Medicaid reimbursement, announced it would halt its primary care services at 18 locations due to the same funding policy. The closure disproportionately affects rural and low-income communities that depend on these clinics for routine health care.
Planned Parenthood has long served as a safety net for marginalized populations, offering cancer screening, contraceptive care, STI testing, and more. With dozens of clinics closing, many individuals may lose affordable access to these basic, preventive services. The legal challenges continue, but for now, the 20 closures stand as a stark indicator of how politicized funding decisions are reshaping access to reproductive health care.