The U.S. House of Representatives Friday passed the “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act,” (H.R. 3762), 240-189. Among other things, the bill would block, for one year, most federal payments to affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
H.R. 3762 is a special type of legislation called a “reconciliation bill.” This means that it cannot be blocked in the Senate by the filibuster, which has been the main obstacle to previous attempts to pass legislation to defund Planned Parenthood. Nevertheless, the bill faces formidable obstacles in the Senate.
The bill would close the largest pipeline for federal funding of Planned Parenthood, Medicaid, and apply as well to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Title V and Title XX block grant programs. These sources account for roughly 89% of all federal funds that currently flow to Planned Parenthood. Under the bill, the amounts denied to Planned Parenthood are reallocated to community health centers.
