Bera Warns Planned Parenthood Cuts Threaten Rural Healthcare

India-West Staff Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Representative Ami Bera (D-CA), a physician, along with other members of the Democratic Doctors Caucus and Planned Parenthood Federation of America CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, recently spoke out against Republican-led cuts to Medicaid. They warned that a provision in a law signed by President Trump, dubbed the “Big, Ugly Bill,” could severely impact access to healthcare for over a million Americans.

The bill’s provision, which aims to block Medicaid patients from receiving care at Planned Parenthood, has been temporarily halted by the courts. If it were to take effect, the measure could force the closure of up to 200 health centers, jeopardizing care for 1.1 million Medicaid patients.

Bera emphasized that Planned Parenthood’s services extend far beyond reproductive health. “In many communities across this country, they’re the sole provider of primary care services to women and men,” he stated. He highlighted that in rural and underserved areas, these centers are often the only source for essential services like cancer screenings, STI testing, and chronic disease management.

“What Donald Trump’s bill…does is it takes away that primary service, those community health center services, from so many Americans, particularly Americans in rural America,” Bera added, accusing Republicans of specifically targeting these vital services. He concluded by affirming the commitment of Democratic doctors to fight back and hold Republicans accountable.