Vermont and other states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its effort to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, a day after a judge granted the health care organization’s request to block the cuts.
Advocates of health equity and access in Vermont welcome the win but said the fight is not over.
Vermont is among 22 states and Washington DC that sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers to Medicare and Medicaid Services for continuing to target Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in the sweeping tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this month, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Filed in the U.S. District court in Massachusetts Tuesday, the complaint argues that the provision in the bill to defund — which prevents the use of federal funds for any health care obtained at Planned Parenthood health centers — is unconstitutional. The suit states the administration continues “to target and punish” the nonprofit “for advocating for abortion access.”
Earlier this month, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America sued the Trump administration and a court issued a temporary restraining order mandating the federal government must continue reimbursing Planned Parenthood clinics for Medicaid-funded services. That order expired last week but a federal judge in Boston issued a new court order Monday to protect Medicaid funding for all Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide while the case continues.
U.S District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston ruled the defund provision in Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” violates the First Amendment, the Equal Protection clause, and the prohibition on Bills of Attainder in the U.S. Constitution.
Well known for providing abortion care, Planned Parenthood plays a critical role in Vermont’s health care access especially for low income people, those in rural areas and those who have historically faced barriers to care.
Beyond providing abortion care and sex education, about 200 Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation — including six across Vermont — provide cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and wellness exams to those who do not have other options.
In fiscal year 2024, Planned Parenthood clinics served 16,000 patents in Vermont, of whom 24% were covered by the Medicaid program. It provided 32,192 STI tests, 1,781 cervical cancer screenings and 1,049 breast exams to Vermonters, according to data shared by the organization.
If the nonprofit was forced to scale back or close clinics, it would create dangerous gaps in access, according to Daniel Barlow, executive director of the People’s Health and Wellness Clinic in Barre that provides free health care to uninsured and underinsured adults in Central Vermont.
“For many patients on Medicaid, Planned Parenthood is not just a provider of choice, it’s often the only provider available that offers the full range of reproductive healthcare services in a welcoming and inclusive environment,” Barlow wrote in an email. “Efforts to defund or discredit Planned Parenthood don’t just target an organization — they threaten the health, dignity, and autonomy of our communities.”
More than 70 million people rely on Medicaid, the federal government’s insurance program for low-income people, according to federal enrollment data.
Medicaid insures about 200,000 people in Vermont and costs approximately $2.4 billion, of which about 62% is federally funded, according to a press release from Attorney General Charity Clark’s office announcing the lawsuit. Vermont Medicaid covers reproductive health and preventative services and Planned Parenthood “plays a critical role in delivering that care,” the release states.
“In a rural state like ours — where medical providers are few and far between — the loss of Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood will leave Vermonters without access to basic care,” Clark stated in the release.
The lawsuit argues the provision is “impermissibly ambiguous,” unlawful and would lead to “widespread disruptions in preventative care and increase health care costs.”
The continued effort to defund Planned Parenthood is “a direct attack on the health care access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionally harming women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color,” the release stated.
Planned Parenthood remains “one of the only affirming places” where young people in Vermont can access affordable and gender-affirming health care, Dana Kaplan, executive director of Outright Vermont, wrote in an email Tuesday.
“Bodily autonomy is at the heart of both reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, and in this political climate where both are under attack, losing Planned Parenthood would create devastating gaps for youth—especially those on Medicaid,” he wrote.
While the lawsuits and this week’s court decision are good news for the organization, the fight is far from over, said Jessica Barquist, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, in the release.
The attack is politically motivated, she said, and the nonprofit remains committed to providing care to anyone who seeks it.
“During these turbulent times, we know our Medicaid insured patients won’t be able to access care elsewhere, which is why our commitment to see them is so critical,” she said in the release.
