Quote:But just how much funding does Planned Parenthood receive from the government? In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2014, Planned Parenthood had $1.3 billion in total revenue. Of that, $528.4 million came from government health services grants and reimbursements. The group says the vast majority of federal dollars it receives comes from Medicaid reimbursements for providing preventative health care.

 

That's why ending the flow of federal dollars isn't as simple as turning off the spigot. The laws governing Medicaid - the health insurance program for low-income families - prevent states from excluding certain providers solely because of other medical services they provide, like abortions. Those laws also say Medicaid recipients must be allowed to seek treatment from anyone who is qualified to perform the services. This is sometimes called a "freedom of choice" provision.
 
In other words, the bill introduced by the Senate Republicans Wednesday - if it were to pass - would violate existing federal law and almost certainly face a challenge in court, Susan Fogel, the Director of Reproductive Health for the National Health Law Program, told CBS News.
 
A few states already know this because they have tried to block Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid dollars. Indiana passed a law in 2011 that would have prevented Medicare recipients from seeking care at Planned Parenthood clinics across the state. The law was blocked by a U.S. district judge, upheld by a federal appeals court, and then turned down by the Supreme Court for further review.
 
A Circuit Court panel ultimately rejected the measure to block the funding, holding that the Indiana law violated the right of the patients to get medical care "from the qualified provider of their choice," U.S. District Court Judge Diane Sykes wrote in the ruling.