Planned Parenthood clinics in Colorado temporarily resumed treating patients covered by Medicaid on Wednesday after halting primary care for about 5,000 people last week.
Clinics canceled appointments for more than 900 patients because congressional Republicans’ new tax-and-spending law — previously called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — prohibits Medicaid payments for a year to organizations that provide abortions and also received at least $800,000 in federal funding two years ago.
“We are relieved to once again open our doors to Medicaid patients — but this is only a temporary fix,” said Adrienne Mansanares, chief executive of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, in a statement.
“We know how frustrating and destabilizing it is for our communities to see Medicaid access expand one day and contract the next,” she said. “It’s a rollercoaster no patient or provider should have to endure.”
A federal judge temporarily halted the provision in the law for two weeks, but the restraining order expires Monday.
Planned Parenthood clinics will continue to schedule patients after Monday with the caveat that the centers may have to cancel appointments for Medicaid patients again, spokeswoman Fawn Bolak said.
Clinics already can’t use federal money to pay for most abortions, but federal funds can be used to pay for other things, such as cancer screening.
Planned Parenthood officials previously said clinics had to cancel appointments because Colorado law doesn’t allow providers to accept cash payments from Medicaid patients.
About 5,000 Coloradans are covered by Medicaid and use a Planned Parenthood clinic as their primary care provider. As many as 14,000 Medicaid patients receive care from Planned Parenthood at least once a year.
Planned Parenthood has 11 clinics in Colorado, including in Denver.
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