SEATTLE, WA – Governor Bob Ferguson announced Wednesday that the State of Washington will step in to cover the loss of Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood caused by newly enacted federal legislation.
The move comes in response to President Donald Trump’s signing of the “Big Beautiful Bill” on July 4, which includes a one-year ban on all Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. The moratorium, which took effect immediately, halts federal Medicaid payments for preventive care services and cancer screenings provided by Planned Parenthood. Under current law, Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay for abortion services.
Planned Parenthood receives approximately $22 million annually in Medicaid funding in Washington, with at least $11 million of that coming from the federal government. It is among the state’s largest Medicaid providers.
Planned Parenthood has filed a legal challenge against the federal defunding provision. In the meantime, Governor Ferguson said the state will provide temporary funding to fill the gap if the litigation is unsuccessful.
“This is a blatantly political, cruel attack on reproductive rights — a common theme within the Trump Administration,” Ferguson said in a statement. “The real victims are Washingtonians who will lose their health care provider. I will not allow that to happen.”
Ferguson acknowledged the challenges of Washington’s current budget but said ensuring continued access to care was a priority. “We must step into this temporary gap to ensure women continue to have access to critical health care,” he said.
The funding cut is part of broader Medicaid reductions included in the legislation, which passed Congress with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president. The bill calls for $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade, the largest in the program’s history. For Washington state, that could mean a loss of at least $3 billion annually, resulting in coverage losses for 250,000 residents and reduced access to the state’s health care exchange for another 150,000.
About one in four Washingtonians currently rely on Medicaid. In 26 of the state’s 39 counties, more than half of all children are covered under the program.
Washington Representatives Dan Newhouse and Michael Baumgartner voted in favor of the legislation, which will heavily impact their Central and Eastern Washington districts. Combined, more than 500,000 residents in those areas are enrolled in Medicaid.
The new law also includes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Around 1 million Washingtonians use SNAP to help pay for food. All will see reduced benefits, and more than 130,000 could lose benefits entirely.
