PPINK: Unnecessary Medicaid restrictions threaten access to care for many Kentuckians

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK) expressed concern about today’s approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s work requirement and premium mandate for Medicaid participation.  

“Today’s troubling decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will reduce access to basic health care for Kentuckians by imposing unnecessary, bureaucratic restrictions for Medicaid recipients,” said Christie Gillespie, President and CEO of PPINK. “As a health care provider, PPINK believes that all Kentuckians deserve access to affordable, high-quality health care regardless of where they live or how much money they make. Unfortunately, too many Kentuckians still face barriers to care - especially those with low incomes, people of color, and those living in areas with few health care providers. We know that people are more likely to go without care and suffer negative health outcomes when politicians create more barriers to essential and lifesaving health care, and that is precisely what these new Medicaid restrictions will do. In a state where 443,000 people benefited from Medicaid expansion since last year, this will be devastating for the people of the Commonwealth.”