ATHENS, Ohio — Over one-fourth of patients at the Athens Planned Parenthood use Medicaid to pay for their visits. But if a federal provision that seeks to defund Planned Parenthood nationally goes into effect, those patients may have to look elsewhere for care.
“If [Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio] is unable to participate in Medicaid, it would be devastating for our patients who trust us to provide the health care they need and who prefer to use Planned Parenthood for their care,” PPGOH representatives told the Independent in an email.
A federal judge on Monday indefinitely blocked the provision in the 2025 Reconciliation Act (aka One Big Beautiful Bill) that would prevent Planned Parenthood from accepting Medicaid nationally. The judge — Indira Talwani, a Barack Obama nominee — found Planned Parenthood was likely to succeed in its challenge to the provision in the bill. Talwani wrote that the provision likely unconstitutionally targets the national healthcare provider.
PPGOH said in a July 28 statement that its health centers will continue accepting Medicaid as a result of Talwani’s decision. However, the organization said it will not accept Medicaid for “long acting reversible contraceptives, such as intrauterine devices and Nexplanon, given the Trump administration’s position in the litigation that Planned Parenthood affiliates would have to pay back claims if the court’s order is reversed on appeal.”
“Judge Talwani’s decision ensures that thousands of Planned Parenthood patients continue receiving necessary and life-saving care, and that Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio health centers can continue to provide public health services to our patients,” the statement continued. “We will continue to monitor the case closely and make decisions on the care we can provide going forward, taking into account the financial risks to the organization.”
If the Trump administration is ultimately successful in defending the provision, the result could be devastating for Planned Parenthood nationally.
Medicaid revenue accounted for one third of Planned Parenthood’s aggregate revenue in the 2023 fiscal year, according to Talwani’s July 28 order. For some clinics, that number is even higher, with Medicaid reimbursements accounting for over three-quarters of health services revenue.
Just over half of all Planned Parenthood patients rely on Medicaid for their visits.
That number is lower in Athens, where 26% of Planned Parenthood patients were served by Medicaid, according to PPGOH. That’s slightly higher than the percentage of county residents who use Medicaid overall.
“If we cannot participate in Medicaid, we would work with patients individually to help them figure out their options,” PPGOH told the Independent. “Our focus remains on providing high-quality, affordable, and timely health care to our patients as we navigate these uncertainties.”
In 2024, 986 patients visited the Athens health center on 1,523 visits, according to PPGOH.
“We provided over 2,700 STI tests and 248 gender-affirming care visits,” PPGOH said of the Athens location. “The Athens health center is one of our preventive care sites where we also offer chest exams, colposcopies, biopsies, Pap tests, PrEP visits [for the HIV-prevention drug], and wellness exams. We are proud to bring a diverse array of services to Athens.”
The Athens health center — along with over 140 other Planned Parenthood clinics across the country — has already been impacted by a freeze in its Title X funding for family planning. Additionally, work requirements for Medicaid, established by Trump’s tax and spending bill, will go into effect by the end of 2026.
PPGOH estimates that 60,000 people in Ohio will be impacted by those requirements, calling them “an unnecessary barrier to health care for those who are likely working, in school, or are caregivers.”
Meanwhile, trigger language in Ohio’s state operating budget would eliminate Medicaid coverage for many residents if certain federal cuts to Medicaid go into effect.
“Each of these cuts has a deep impact on PPGOH and our ability to serve the community,” PPGOH told the Independent.
Two Ohio Planned Parenthood clinics, located in Springfield and Hamilton, will close Aug. 1 as a result of state and federal policy changes and impacts on Medicaid. Both clinics saw a high volume of Medicaid patients. Those clinics were operated by Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, a separate entity from PPGOH.
“Each Planned Parenthood affiliate has to evaluate its own operations and how it will respond to the reconciliation bill and court orders in the litigation challenging the bill,” PPGOH told the Independent.
PPGOH said it has no plans to close its Athens health center.
