Maine Family Planning says it cannot sustain its primary care practice beyond this month.
The nonprofit says it faced an impossible decision after losing $2 million in Medicaid funding under a new federal law. That means 800 patients in Aroostook and Hancock counties will now need to find new primary care providers.
The law bans health providers who also offer abortions from being reimbursed BY Medicaid.
“The cruel and dangerous law has put us in an impossible situation," President and CEO George Hill said in a written statement. "Discharging and turning away vulnerable patients strikes at the very heart of MFP’s reputation as a trusted community provider that has been able to serve patients of any means for more than 50 years.”
As a result, Maine Family Planning says they've been providing primary care to Medicaid patients in Ellsworth, Houlton, and Presque Isle free of charge since July.
The nonprofit has challenged the law in federal court and asked for a preliminary injunction. That was denied and the organization appealed. But as it awaits a ruling, spokesperson Olivia Pennington says time has run out and primary care services have to be terminated.
"We know that it's incredibly difficult to get into primary care. Many folks regardless of their insurance carrier are waiting 6-8 months for a primary care appointment," she says. "We have been very clear that even within a few months, catastrophic damage can happen in terms of what people are able to access for health care."
Pennington says Maine Family Planning will work with patients to try to get them into other primary care practices. It will continue to offer reproductive health care at its clinics.
"We have ongoing, long relationships with our patients. And the federal administration's decision to not allow these folks to use their insurance to access care at the provider that they feel safe with is incredibly unjust," she says.
