United States Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on Individual Rights Under Medicaid

On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, as South Carolina attempts to strip Planned Parenthood of funding under Medicaid. The initial petition was filed on June 3, 2024, after a lower court’s decision to bar the state from blocking Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. The case is central to abortion rights, but the focus is on the technical legal question of whether individuals eligible for Medicaid can bring suit to pick their preferred health care providers.

In 2018, after South Carolina governor Henry McMaster ordered the State to prohibit abortion clinics from participating in the Medicaid program, Julie Edwards, a Medicaid patient, went to federal court and argued that McMaster’s order violated a provision of the Medicaid Act that allows any patient who is eligible for Medicaid to seek health care from any “qualified” provider. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit agreed that the Medicaid Act creates individual rights that can be enforced under federal civil rights laws. This ruling barred South Carolina from excluding Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. 

Thus, the arguments are largely focused on whether the Medicaid Act contains clear language necessary for creating private rights, including specifically the freedom of choice provision. The decision will have far-reaching implications for both Medicaid and public health. The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision by Summer 2025.