Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has signed on to the state’s 33rd lawsuit against the Trump Administration, this time over a provision in the Big Beautiful Bill Act that targets Planned Parenthood health centers.
Weiser joined a coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia Tuesday in legal action over the spending law’s “defund provision,” which specifically blocks Medicaid reimbursements for essential health care services like cancer screenings, birth control and STI testing at Planned Parenthood health centers. The coalition argues the provision is unclear and thus illegal — breaking rules previously set by Congress for how federal money can be used.
The states say the provision is likely to increase health risks and result in an increased cost of roughly $30 million over the next five years and $52 million over the next 10 years in Medicaid programs.
The lawsuit asks the court to stop the administration from implementing the provision altogether.
“Congress specifically included the Defund Provision in the massive spending bill to target and punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortion access and advocating for reproductive health options for patients,” Weiser said in a press release. “Coloradans continually have made it clear that they support reproductive health care, and we are suing the administration to stop it from implementing the provision and leaving states with higher costs for care in the long-term.”
The administration argues other health centers can absorb Planned Parenthood patients. However, recent findings from the Guttmacher Institute show other facilities don’t have the capacity needed to serve the roughly 1.1 million Americans who currently rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care.
That sentiment was echoed recently by Denver Health CEO Donna Lynne who worries about the long-term and whether hospitals could be a target for similar provisions in the future.
“We can't possibly absorb all of that,” Lynne said. “We do provide a variety of women's health services. I think a concern is Planned Parenthood today, Denver Health tomorrow.”
In a move to challenge the provision, Planned Parenthood Federation of America has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. But last week, following the expiration of a temporary restraining order prohibiting the ending of Medicaid payments, most Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide were temporarily cut off from Medicaid funding, including those in Colorado.
On Monday, a federal court in Boston granted Planned Parenthood’s injunction in full, concluding that the provision likely violates both the U.S. Constitution by targeting Planned Parenthood’s health centers specifically for punishment, and the First Amendment and Equal Protection clause. That meant payments could continue for now.
Weiser and the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as Josh Shapiro, in his official capacity as governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, all joined the lawsuit.
CPR Health Reporter John Daley contributed to this story.
- Despite partial court win, Planned Parenthood of the Rockies CEO says Medicaid patients still cannot get services there, due to federal budget bill
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains resumes scheduling for patients enrolled in Medicaid, for now
- One Big Beautiful Bill law blocks Colorado Medicaid patients from going to Planned Parenthood for care, as others face future without SNAP
