Because the Big Beautiful Bill cut off much of Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid reimbursement money, the organization has been forced to look for other sources of funds. One option being explored by one of the group’s California affiliates is to offer botox in addition to abortion.
Inside an exam room at this bustling Planned Parenthood center, a clinician prepared six syringes.
“I don’t want to look frozen,” said patient Nasim Adeli, a 34-year-old program manager.
The aesthetics program director told Adeli to smile big before pressing a needle of Botox into the skin around her outer eye. “Now, relax.”
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the largest affiliate of the national abortion provider, is overhauling its business model with a slate of new services…
Now, along with access to birth control, abortions and testing for sexually transmitted infections, patients can order an IV hydration after a night of drinking—or smooth crow’s feet. They might soon be able to get laser hair removal and cosmetic fillers.
Planned Parenthood predicted a catastrophe when the BBB passed last year but despite some clinic closures it hasn’t been as bad as they predicted. That’s largely thanks to blue state taxpayers whose money is being handed out to PP to keep the organization afloat.
Planned Parenthood said in its January report that it covered the cost of more than 100,000 patient visits for Medicaid beneficiaries, totaling $45 million in uncompensated care, between September, when the OBBBA’s provision took effect, and the end of 2025.
But, on top of increased private donations, Planned Parenthood’s affiliate organizations have recouped nearly $280 million through state pledges since the passage of the federal Medicaid ban, according to the health policy research group KFF.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) last October pledged over $140 million to the seven Planned Parenthood affiliates in his state. In February, he pledged another $90 million.
Other states have also pledged lump-sum amounts of up to $41 million, the largest being $35 million from Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY).
It’s amazing that Planned Parenthood is able to get this much money from California even as the state is facing an $18 billion shortfall next year. The best news for PP is that the BBB only cut funding for one year, meaning they just have to hold out for another 6 months.
…the bill only cut funding for one year. And Planned Parenthood is now halfway through that year in relatively strong shape, thanks to stepped-up contributions from state governments and private donors.
In short, if conservatives want to see Planned Parenthood defunded, they need to extend the police in the BBB or make it permanent. Clearly the one year cut didn’t result in the catastrophe PP predicted it would.
David Bereit, head of the anti-abortion coalition group Life Leadership Conference, told the Washington Examiner that Planned Parenthood’s survival of the one-year defund “gives [him] hope” that Congress can pass another bill.
“They’ve proven they don’t need it,” Bereit said of Planned Parenthood. “We’ve proven that we can pass this measure and that America didn’t fall apart as a result of it, and we have the safety net of other resources that can help those who are really facing difficult situations.”
Still, there’s no doubt PP has been put on a diet of federal funding and there’s not enough Botox in the world to make up the difference.
An infusion of millions of dollars through one-time funding from California lawmakers will help narrow the gap for this fiscal year. Filling that shortfall in the future remains precarious, clinic leaders said.
“We’ll never fill this $100 million gap. It’s impossible,” Cross said. “But we have to do everything we can.”
Here’s hoping Republicans in congress get their act together and extend the Medicaid cuts to PP for several more years.
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