NEWS

Reality check: What will defunding Planned Parenthood really mean?

Jessie Balmert
jbalmert@enquirer.com

COLUMBUS — Republican lawmakers are poised to eliminate nearly $1.4 million from Planned Parenthood clinics across Ohio.

GOP lawmakers on Wednesday are expected to take their final vote on a plan to strip nearly $1.4 million from Planned Parenthood. The money, which Planned Parenthood uses for programs like sex education for foster children and HIV testing, would go instead to other health clinics across the state. And while no state money pays for abortions, Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion advocates say any money given to the abortion provider could support the procedures.

If there was ever any doubt that Gov. John Kasich would sign the bill to ax money for Planned Parenthood, the GOP presidential hopeful cleared that up for a female voter in Concord, N.H.: "We're not gonna fund it."

But while the vote to eliminate money from Planned Parenthood is a near certainty, some questions remain about what the change would mean:

Is $1.4 million a huge blow to Planned Parenthood's annual budget?

Probably not. Ohio has two Planned Parenthood affiliates: Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, which operates several health clinics from Springfield and Dayton to Springdale and Mount Auburn; and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, which has 20 health clinics from Athens in southeast Ohio to Toledo in northwest Ohio.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio received $488,189 of the nearly $1.4 million pie, which amounted to less than 7 percent of its annual budget. More than half of the organization's $8 million budget in 2013-2014 came from fees for services; another 28 percent of the budget, nearly $2.3 million, was donations, according to tax filings.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio received $894,917 from Ohio Department of Health, about 4.5 percent of the nonprofit's $19.8 million annual budget. But again, the money was far from the largest source of income for the organization. About $8.6 million from program fees and $4.4 million in donations contributed most of the organization's $19.5 million budget between 2013 and 2014, according to tax filings.

Both organizations will continue to receive about $2.4 million from Medicaid reimbursements — something Ohio lawmakers have tried to eliminate but is protected by federal law. Attempts to block Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood in Texas and Louisiana were met with lawsuits.

So, don't expect Planned Parenthood's clinics to close their doors over this lost money. But nearly $1.4 million does represent a large chunk of the organizations' budget for health education. Those programs, especially at smaller clinics, could be scaled back, said Stephanie Kight, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio.

Did Planned Parenthood beat out other health clinics for this money?

Probably not. Advocates for Planned Parenthood argue that Ohio Department of Health awarded the clinics nearly $1.4 million because they were the best choice: "The state of Ohio, after a rigorous, competitive process, selected Planned Parenthood as the best provider for these funds year after year after year," Kight said.

But Planned Parenthood isn't the only organization that received that money. In fact, the state health department doled out $15.6 million from these federal grants to groups like AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Hamilton County Public Health and Proyecto Luz, a faith-based organization in Cleveland that provides HIV testing, according to state health department records.

It's not clear whether other health clinics have even applied for the money. Randy Runyons, president and CEO of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, which represents more than 250 health care facilities statewide, said he was not aware of health clinics ever applying for or receiving these grants.

"These are not grants that we apply for," Runyons said. "It’s just not a good fit for our organizations."

Are local health clinics prepared to replace Planned Parenthood?

Time will tell. The size of a health center and the length of its waiting list could determine whether they have the capacity to take on Planned Parenthood clients, Runyons said.

But the change has at least some healthcare workers worried. Claire Boettler, president of the Ohio Public Health Association, cautioned lawmakers in a letter that clinics might not have the capacity to serve all the patients that Planned Parenthood does. Rachel D'Amico, a Cincinnati native and Ohio State University medical student, said she fears a repeat of what happened in Texas: community health centers saw an 81 percent increase in their caseloads after Planned Parenthood was defunded in 2012.

"Defunding health centers overnight that serve thousands of people in Ohio, will create an immediate crisis in health care access. In a health care system that is already overworked, other community centers are not equipped to serve so many more patients," D'Amico said.

However, lawmakers and anti-abortion advocates argue that 250-plus health clinics would easily handle the number of patients. In fact, some clinics are located in rural areas where Planned Parenthood doesn't have facilities, said Stephanie Krider, executive director of Ohio Right to Life.

Will the change cut off health departments and hospitals from money?

Maybe. Planned Parenthood advocates argue that the proposal to ax money from its coffers will have unintended consequences for health departments and hospitals seeking the same money.

Because of the way the change is worded, any health department or hospital that interacts with an abortion provider could be barred from money, Kight said. For example, if Hamilton County accepts health insurance that covers abortions for something unrelated, like a flu shot, that could put the county's state money at risk.

"We don't know the full impact of how this is going to affect hospitals, how it's going to affect other healthcare providers, other community healthcare agencies so I don't think we've seen the full impact yet of what this could mean for our communities," Kight said.

That has Columbus Public Health officials concerned, but Cincinnati Health Department does not contract with Planned Parenthood so it shouldn't be a problem, a spokeswoman said.

Associated Press contributed to this article.