(The Center Square) – One month after the Senate approved a House bill prohibiting Medicaid support to Planned Parenthood, the House of Representatives has followed suit on a Senate bill in North Carolina.
House Bill 192 got parked in the chamber’s Rules Committee in September after passage in the Senate; on Wednesday, the House adjusted Senate Bill 378 with an amendment and passed it 61-47 on party lines with some members of both parties both choosing not to vote and taking excused absences.
The House’s bill won’t be taken up by the Senate. Per the adjournment resolution of the General Assembly, as confirmed by the Senate Principal Clerk’s Office, the legislation is ineligible for consideration by the chamber.
Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit offering sexual and reproductive health care services, with abortion being the lightning rod drawing the ire of second-term Republican President Donald Trump and actions by his administration. Several legislatures nationwide, including North Carolina, have opted to try and codify his wishes.
Planned Parenthood also offers birth control; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; pregnancy testing; prenatal and postpartum care; cancer screenings; and HIV testing and prevention.
The presidential administration’s actions have worked through regulatory changes, such as in Title X and Medicaid. The Hyde Amendment was an early executive order signed, prohibiting the use of federal taxpayer money for elective abortion.
Align Medicaid Eligibility with Federal Law, as Senate Bill 378 is also known, would prohibit Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in North Carolina. It complies with U.S. House Resolution 1 known also as One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the legislation signed July 4 by Trump.
In a release, Rep. Dean Arp, R-Union, said, “Senate Bill 378 makes clear that public dollars will no longer flow to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, ensuring our Medicaid program focuses instead on health care providers who offer comprehensive care for women without undermining the values of North Carolinians.”
At passage, no Democrats were for it and no Republicans voted against. Two Republicans and one Democrat chose not to vote; eight Republicans and one Democrats took excused absences.
Rep. Neal Jackson, R-Moore, in a statement said, “Senate Bill 378 ensures that our Medicaid funds support real health care rather than organizations that profit from abortion. By partnering with community clinics, we’re expanding access to care while keeping our commitment to North Carolina families and the unborn.”
Defund Planned Parenthood & Cost Transparency, known also as House Bill 192, got a favorable committee substitute while in the Senate on Sept. 22 and the same day passed 28-20 in the full chamber. It has been parked in the House Rules Committee since.
All of the no votes were from Democrats. Two Republicans had excused absences.
This proposal also stops state funding to Planned Parenthood through Medicaid. Additionally, there’s a requirement for good faith estimates to be given to patients for services they can get elsewhere at hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities.
Planned Parenthood would be able to bid for $830,000 of work through Medicaid funds, though not for family-planning services.
