GOP Governors Target Planned Parenthood's Eligibility for 340B Drug Discounts

This week, OklaOklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and ten other Republican governors requested that the federal government prevent Planned Parenthood from participating in a drug discount program designed to help safety-net providers increase access to care for more people.

In letters sent to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, the governors said that Planned Parenthood uses the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program to indirectly pay for abortion services, even in states where those services are heavily limited or not allowed at all.

"Planned Parenthood can lower its costs, reallocate unrestricted funds, and improve its operations in other areas with help from the federal program," the letter said.

Through the 340B program, certain clinics can buy prescription drugs at lower prices. This cuts down on costs and lets healthcare providers help more people. 

Oklahoma has three health centers that are part of Planned Parenthood. These are in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Edmond. The state has strict rules that make it illegal for the clinics to perform abortions. However, they still provide yearly exams, birth control, emergency care, and gender-affirming services.

Supporters of reproductive health have warned that focusing on this program could put at risk the care that Oklahomans who depend on low-cost services can get. Kensey Wright, a board member of the Roe Fund, stated that this action reflects a trend where individuals are attempting to make it more difficult for others to obtain abortions while simultaneously denying assistance or resources that could help prevent pregnancies.

After putting in place an executive order earlier this year that said the state can't give money to any group with ties to abortion doctors, Stitt has made this request.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which serves Oklahoma, said on its website that it cannot take Medicaid patients through SoonerCare. However, it does offer private financial aid choices.

Wright said, "People need to think about more than just the abortion issue." "The programs that help people in our community get the health care they need are in danger."