All 109 Planned Parenthood health centers in California are now blocked from getting paid with federal funds for services insured through the state’s Medi-Cal program because of an appeals court decision in favor of the Trump administration’s efforts to defund the nonprofit.
The 2nd Court of Appeals’ Sept. 11 ruling lifted an injunction placed by a federal judge in July that blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill or the 2025 Reconciliation Act.
That provision prevents Planned Parenthood centers nationwide from receiving federal Medicaid payment for one year if they offer elective abortions, family planning services, reproductive health services, and if the nonprofit received federal and state Medicaid payments of more than $800,000 in fiscal year 2023.
“The preliminary injunction had provided relief from this unlawful government action to PPFA [Planned Parenthood Federation of America] and all its members, including PPCCC,” Planned Parenthood California Central Coast CEO Jenna Tosh said.
For the six Planned Parenthood health centers on the Central Coast, the lost Medi-Cal reimbursements account for 60 percent of the chapter’s total annual revenue.
The reimbursements paid for essential and preventative care like cancer screenings, birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and wellness visits.
“Today, we continue to provide care to patients in the Medi-Cal program without getting paid, but the situation is unsustainable,” Tosh said. “Without immediate action from the state, Planned Parenthood California Central Coast will face devastating decisions.”
Some of these decisions could include reduced services, scaled back hours of operation, and even complete shuttering.
“Cancers will go undetected, the state’s STI crisis will worsen, abortion and birth control will be harder than ever to access, and people who already struggle to access reproductive health care will face even more barriers,” Tosh said.
Almost 70 percent of the chapter’s patients who come to the centers in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage. Tosh added that 1 in 4 Californians depended on a Planned Parenthood health center for care.
But Tosh said Planned Parenthood isn’t giving up.
“Alongside Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California will continue to fight back with every tool we have against this unjust and politically motivated attack on reproductive health care access in California and other states,” she said. “Additionally, California’s attorney general, alongside 21 other states, has filed a separate lawsuit challenging the defund.”
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2025.