The FTC and Planned Parenthood Need Our Help
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
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Seeking to Further Subjugate Women
A federal lawsuit in Texas against Planned Parenthood has a web of ties to conservative activist Leonard Leo, whose decades-long effort to steer the U.S. court system to the right overturned Roe v. Wade, yielding the biggest rollback of reproductive health access in half a century. The original reporting is from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
Brought by an anonymous whistleblower and later joined by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the suit alleges the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and three Planned Parenthood affiliates defrauded the Texas and Louisiana Medicaid programs by collecting $17 million for services provided while it fought state efforts to remove it as an approved provider.
According to its 2022-23 annual report, Planned Parenthood affiliate clinics provided 9.13 million health care services to 2.05 million patients nationally in 2022. Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections accounted for about half of those services, contraception amounted to a quarter, and abortions constituted 4%.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which operates clinics in Texas and Louisiana, is among the branches Paxton and the whistleblower are suing. From July 2022 to June 2023, its clinics provided patients more than 86,000 tests for sexually transmitted infections, 44,000 visits for birth control, and nearly 7,000 cancer screening and prevention services.
Texas government officials knew the state was reimbursing Planned Parenthood clinics for medical services from 2017 to 2021 and that Planned Parenthood was approved to receive Medicaid payments in that time frame which renders the state’s argument that clinics violated the False Claims Act without merit,
They filed the case in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, where Matthew Kacsmaryk is the only judge. He is a longtime member of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal juggernaut for which Leo has worked for over 25 years in various capacities and currently serves as co-chair.
Kacsmaryk’s is an avowed anti-abortion Advocate and his rulings have curtailed access to reproductive health since the Senate confirmed him in 2019. He suspended the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion, propelling the issue to the Supreme Court, which ultimately threw out the case. In another case, Kacsmaryk ruled to limit young people’s access to birth control through a federal family planning program.
Fixing this situation is multi-prong.
Administer Medicaid completely federally by enacting Universal Health Care. When we leave it up to the states we get things like segregation, discrimination against low income people, discrimination against those that do not support Christian White Nationalism).
Make Abortion Legal Nationwide.
ACTION
Let’s put this under the noses of the people who can do something. Our members of Congress and our Senators.
Let them know how Texas and Leonard Leo have filed a frivolous lawsuit to bankrupt Planned Parenthood for alleged Medicaid wrongful billing. Let them know that Universal Healthcare would take Medicaid out of the hands of the states and that the Women’s Health Protection Act would legalize abortion nationwide. You can reach them here, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
Or use RESISTBOT via [Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] or just text SIGN PUJJPG to 50409 to send this message.
“I am your constituent and I want you and your legislative staff to know about a frivolous lawsuit filed by Leonard Leo and the state of Texas against Planned Parenthood. They claim that Texas and Louisiana were wrongfully billed for Medicaid services by Planned Parenthood even though the organization was legally allowed to bill the states for those services. You can read about it here, https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/planned-parenthood-conservative-activist-leonard-leo/.
Of course, the case is in front of the anti-abortion activist federal judge Kacsmaryk. The same one who sought to make mifepristone, the abortion medication, illegal.
Leaving it up to the states, creates chaos and disaster. More than 86,000 women yearly rely on health screenings from Planned Parenthood in just those two states. Hateful politicians are seeking to use their prejudice to harm women and you can stop it by taking away their control of Medicaid. You can do that by passing Universal Health Care, like HR 3421, a federal insurance trust for all of us. It will serve all of us cost $400 billion less than we pay now EVERY YEAR (per the CBO) and not deny care based on some hateful prejudice against women. I want you to do whatever is in your power to get it to a vote. And while I have your attention take equally strong action and pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore Roe v Wade NATIONWIDE. It is S. 701/H.R. 12). Thank you.”
Federal Trade Commission and Health
“When private equity firms buy out healthcare facilities only to slash staffing and cut quality, patients lose out,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. The FTC will scrutinizes private equity roll-ups, strip-and-flip tactics, and other financial plays that can enrich executives but leave the American public worse off.
Research has shown that competition in health care provider and payer markets promotes higher quality, lower cost health care, greater access to care, increased innovation, higher wages, and better benefits for health care workers.
The agency has been collecting evidence this year regarding pharmaceutical shenanigans, Medicare Advantage anti-trust behavior and private equity’s role in healthcare. They want to know how patients are harmed so they can protect patients.
The head of the Agency, Lina Khan, wants her agency to work for us, not those that seek to cheat us and harm our health in the process.
It turns out that several billionaires have given large donations to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the presidency and want Lina Khan to be fired according to the Reuters. We need Lina Khan so let’s send a note to Vice President Harris and let her know.
EXTRA CREDIT ACTION
We cannot continue to allow big business to bully any political candidates using donations as a weapon. Please take a moment to write to Vice-President Harris to express your support of the work Ms. Khan and the FTC are doing using this form. Let her know that you want her to continue President Biden’s antitrust fights especially as it pertains to healthcare. (Biden administration readies a big swing at big businesses in 2024).
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
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