Texas operates a family planning program for more than one hundred thousand low- income women called the Women’s Health Program (WHP); it is currently administered under a waiver from the Medicaid program. Earlier this year, the state adopted a policy to exclude family planning clinics that are Planned Parenthood affiliates from participating in the WHP. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determined that this was contrary to policies permitting patients’ freedom to choose their health care providers, leading to the termination of federal participation as early as November 1, 2012, thereby also eliminating 90%.
