BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration is trying a new approach to remove Planned Parenthood from Louisiana's Medicaid program, this time saying it has a reason to block the clinics.
Jindal, an anti-abortion Republican running for president in 2016, had initially ended Medicaid provider agreements with Planned Parenthood without providing a reason. The administration said state law allowed cancellation with a 30-day notice.
But a federal judge questioned that reasoning. Planned Parenthood had asked the judge to consider halting Jindal's maneuver.
Since then, the Jindal administration changed its plans and announced it will block Planned Parenthood's clinics from the Medicaid program "for cause."
The health department Friday cited Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast's $4.3 million settlement of false claims allegations in Texas as reason to kill its Louisiana Medicaid contract.
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