Low-income Missourians could lose essential health care | State News [Video]

From cancer screenings, to sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, to birth control, Planned Parenthood provides these services to low-resource patients at no cost. 

“That’s what we’re known for,” said Emily Wales, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. 

But the availability of these services could change in the future, following Gov. Mike Parson’s signing of a bill that allows the state to give no money to Planned Parenthood for Medicaid reimbursements. 

“We don’t get paid at all right now, that’s the state’s plan,” said Wales. 

The bill takes effect in August, and Wales said it poses a big threat for both patients and providers. 

“There are not enough Medicaid providers in the state system,” she said. “Medicaid reimbursements are really low.”

One in five Planned Parenthood patients in Missouri rely on Medicaid coverage. But without the funding, these patients, along with other uninsured or underinsured patients, could lose access …