Hoboken Mayor Bhalla has joined a case with 62 other local governments and elected officials in signing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to save provider choice for Medicaid patients.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The brief was filed in Medina vs. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, urging the Supreme Court to uphold Medicaid patients’ right to choose their healthcare providers.
The brief fights for reproductive rights and equitable healthcare access nationwide and underscores the negative impact that restricting provider choice would have on vulnerable populations.
“The right to choose a qualified healthcare provider is fundamental to ensuring equitable access to care,” Bhalla, a candidate for Assembly in the 32nd Legislative District, said in a statement.
“Blocking providers from Medicaid for ideological reasons does not just limit reproductive healthcare, it threatens public health and places unnecessary strain on local hospitals and clinics that are already overburdened and working at capacity.”
The brief argues patients could lose access to essential healthcare without the ability to enforce their rights under the Medicaid Act’s free-choice-of-provider provision, including reproductive health services, leading to poorer health outcomes, increased
health disparities, and overwhelmed local healthcare infrastructure.
Medicaid is the largest public funder of family planning services, covering over 16 million women of reproductive age.
A ruling against provider choice would force more patients to turn to city- and county-run health services, exacerbating provider shortages and undermining local public health efforts, the mayor added.
