Investigators visited clinics in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio requesting health records, billing documents and staff information, according to the report.
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Ken Lambrecht, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas president and CEO, said in a statement the Texas Office of Inspector General showed up at Planned Parenthood’s office in Dallas “and requested hundreds of pages of detailed documents from at least 10 different health centers ranging back to 2010”. And though they know a veto awaits the measure should it win final congressional approval from the Senate, they say Obama’s rejection would help them sharpen political differences with Democrats for next year’s elections.
The Inspector General Office declined to comment, as did health officials.
Since state health officials are mum at the moment, we don’t really have a good idea of what, if any, dirt they think they’ve got on Planned Parenthood right now.
A bill defunding Planned Parenthood in Ohio could be on Governor John Kasich’s desk by the end of the year. “In fact, even the Department of Justice agreed with us on that issue – that what Planned Parenthood has done is that they have billed for services that were either medically unnecessary or not provided at all”. Planned Parenthood has denied any wrongdoing.
The House bill’s GOP authors said they were constrained by procedural hurdles: legislation receiving the filibuster protections can not increase the deficit – which repealing the entire health care law would do. Reporters received notice of the contract termination prior to Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The subpoenas, signed by the HHSC IG’s Principal Deputy Inspector General Frank Bryan, were delivered three days after the Texas legislature removed Planned Parenthood as a recipient of Medicaid funding following the undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood employees discussing fetal part sales. “Despite their efforts to distort the truth, health care – no matter what – is what happens at Planned Parenthood”.
Planned Parenthood provides family planning and other women’s health services, including abortions and there’s been no confirmation it sells body parts.
In June, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, upheld a disputed portion of President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare reform law. As per Bowen, the termination of Medicaid for Planned Parenthood would not prove taxing for women as there are many other providers in the state. The original subpoenas requested names, salaries, home addresses and home phone numbers of all Planned Parenthood employees.
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Planned Parenthood announced earlier this month it would no longer accept reimbursement for fetal tissue donated for research following abortions.
