Health Needs Could Go Unfilled If Planned Parenthood Funds Cut, Some Say

Despite protests and a partisan-fueled debate at the statehouse, a bill that would cut funding from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland — the state’s largest reproductive health care provider — is moving closer to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk. And some are left asking what providers will be able to patch up the holes created in the safety net.Senate File 2 would discontinue a federal Medicaid waiver that provides millions of dollars in funding to family planning providers across the state, including Planned Parenthood, and instead create a new state-funded program that would exclude facilities that provide abortions from receiving the funds.