FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, December 21, 2015

Contact: Paloma Perez, 202-225-9897, paloma.perez@mail.house.gov

Rep. Veasey and Texas Democrats Urge Obama Administration to Protect Access
to Quality Healthcare Providers
Washington, D.C.Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, led the Texas Democratic Delegation letter to
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andrew Slavitt urging the
agency to intervene and protect Medicaid beneficiaries ability to receive care from Planned Parenthood
centers in Texas. Recently, Governor Abbotts administration announced their intention to ban Planned
Parenthood from participating in the states Medicaid program.
According to Medicaids freedom of choice provision, states are prohibited from restricting access to
qualified healthcare providers. Violating this provision places Texas at risk of losing federal funding for
Medicaid. Planned Parenthood is a critical healthcare provider that allows thousands of women to
access crucial preventative and reproductive care services, including breast or cervical cancer
screenings, HIV tests, and birth control. According to a July 2015 CMS report, approximately 13,000
Texas residents chose Planned Parenthood as their healthcare provider.
One of my top priorities in Congress is ensuring that low-income residents have access to quality and
affordable healthcare. By blocking Planned Parenthood from Texas Medicaid program, Governor Abbott
is once again placing unnecessary obstacles that prevent poor residents in my district and across the
state from securing the healthcare services they need, Congressman Veasey said. Instead of creating
unnecessary obstacles to quality healthcare, federal and state officials should be working together to
ensure residents have access to the resources they need to live healthy lives regardless of zip code or
income.
A copy of the letter is found below.

December 08, 2015

Andrew Slavitt
Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Room 445-G
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Dear Mr. Slavitt:
As members of the Texas delegation, we are deeply concerned by Texas Governor Greg
Abbotts recent decision to terminate Planned Parenthood from the Texas Medicaid Program.
As you know, Medicaid provides much needed health coverage for low-income families,
pregnant women, parents of dependent children, and individuals with disabilities. Currently,
over four million Texans are utilizing this program, with approximately 13,000 receiving care
from Planned Parenthood centers.1 If the Abbott administration moves forward with plans to
end contracts with Planned Parenthood, it will have extremely harmful effects for this
population, but will be particularly damaging for low-income women.
The current state of healthcare delivery in Texas is troubling. Even after reforms brought
by the passage of the Affordable Care Act, through which 1.2 million Texans have signed up for
health insurance via the federally-facilitated marketplace, Texas still leads the country in
uninsured residents.2 Despite mounting evidence of the merits of doing so, Texas continues to
refuse to expand Medicaid, leaving over 948,000 Texans without health care coverage. 3
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, this political posturing has caused an increase in
healthcare costs of 6.9 percent, which is placed on the shoulders of Texas taxpayers.4 Removing
a qualified provider from the Medicaid program would only further restrict access to care and
could cause costs to rise even further, which is why we request swift federal action.
Despite our strong opposition and documented harmful impact on Texas women, the
state has continued to deny women access to reproductive health care. Just a few months ago,
the legislature passed a budget measure to exclude Planned Parenthood and similar providers
from participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) breast and cervical
cancer screening programcutting thousands of women off from their regular cancer
1

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicaid & CHIP: July 2015 Monthly Applications, Eligibility
Determinations and Enrollment Report. Baltimore: Department of Health and Human Services, 2015.
2
Hines, Lora. Texas Obamacare enrollments, renewals near 1.2 million. Houston Chronicle 18 February 2015,
available at: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/medical/article/Texas-Obamacare-enrollmentsrenewals-top-1-2-6087667.php
3
Garfield, Rachel; Damico, Anthony; Stephens, Jessica; Rouhani, Saman. The Coverage Gap: Uninsured Poor Adults
in States that Do Not Expand Medicaid-An Update. (Washington, DC: The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the
Uninsured), April 2015, available at: http://files.kff.org/attachment/issue-brief-the-coverage-gap-uninsured-pooradults-in-states-that-do-not-expand-medicaid-an-update
4
DePrang, Emily New data suggests rejecting Medicaid expansion in Texas is more about saving face than money
Quorum Report, October 20, 2015, accessed October 22, 2015, http://www.quorumreport.com/

screenings. Unfortunately, this callous decision was just another move in a long line of attacks
on womens health. In 2011, Governor Rick Perry banned Planned Parenthood from the Texas
Womens Health Program, resulting in the loss of significant federal support for the program.
The consequences of this have reverberated throughout the state. According to state reports,
30,000 fewer women received care and Medicaid claims decreased by 26 percent5. These
results cannot be repeated.
According to federal statute, the Medicaid program provides special protections for
beneficiaries access to family planning. Previously, in 2011, CMS rightfully intervened to
protect beneficiary accessrefusing to approve Texass new policy for Medicaid, which violated
federal law. Non-compliance with Medicaid law places Texas at risk of losing more federal
funds for the program. Given that this would only exacerbate Texas dismal healthcare outlook,
we respectfully request that your department explore all options available at the federal level
to swiftly rectify this issue.
While we are aware three additional statesAlabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana made
efforts to cut Planned Parenthood out of their states Medicaid programs and were blocked
from doing so in federal court, we fear the time-consuming process of litigation is a luxury that
Texas low-income women cannot afford. Of the 38 Planned Parenthood centers in the state of
Texas, 18 are in a rural or medically underserved area. For the sake of Texas women and
families and low-income residents, we urge you to work with us to quickly resolve this issue and
defend Texas Medicaid beneficiaries against these unlawful state actions in order to continue
expanding access to care for all Texans.
We look forward to your prompt response on this issue.
Sincerely,
Marc Veasey
Member of Congress

Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress

Lloyd Doggett
Member of Congress

Al Green
Member of Congress

Gene Green
Member of Congress

Ruben Hinojosa
Member of Congress

Sheila Jackson Lee

Member of Congress

Eddie Bernice Johnson

Member of Congress

Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Texas Womens Health Program: Savings and Performance
Reporting. Austin: The State of Texas, 2013.

Beto ORourke
Member of Congress

Filemon Vela
Member of Congress