Texas Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz Caught Engaging in Fraud, Again

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 31, 2015   |   2:54PM   |   Austin, TX

A Texas Planned Parenthood abortion business has been caught engaging in fraud. This is the second Texas affiliate of the nation’s biggest abortion business to be caught engaging in fraud in the last two years.

A new federal audit found that Planned Parenthood of North Texas overbilled taxpayers, including for “family planning” services for patients who were already sterilized.

In 2013, then Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that his office had obtained a $1.4 million settlement against Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast for Medicaid fraud, with the settlement to be split between the state of Texas, the federal government, and the whistleblower (former PPGC employee Karen Reynolds). PPGC “submitted more than $30 million in fraudulent bills between 2003 and 2009,” according to the Houston Chronicle. The abortion business was forced to repay almost $4.5 million.

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Now, Alliance Defending Freedom Litigation Counsel Catherine Glenn Foster says Planned Parenthood has been caught again.

“American tax dollars should be used responsibly and for the common good, not wasted on Planned Parenthood’s irresponsibility and self-interest. No responsible economic policy includes bailouts for Planned Parenthood. Just last week, the GAO reported that our government sent $1.5 billion to Planned Parenthood over a three-year period. Through audits like this and reports like the one ADF has provided to Congress, Americans are learning more about the folly of funding Big Abortion,” Foster said.

According to the report from the US Inspector General :

“Federal laws and regulations authorize Federal Medicaid reimbursement to States for family planning services at an enhanced Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) of 90 percent (90-percent rate). These services are funded through Medicaid or through demonstration projects, known as waivers, which allow States to expand Medicaid to grant eligibility to individuals who would not otherwise have been eligible or to provide services that are not typically covered. Previous Office of Inspector General reviews found that States improperly claimed reimbursement at the 90-percent rate for services that were eligible only for the regular FMAP or were ineligible for Federal reimbursement.”

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Here’s more on what that report found:

Planned Parenthood, which has been a vocal champion of Obamacare and Medicaid expansion, partnered with the Texas Health and Human Services commission to provide services to individuals who would not normally qualify for Medicaid. The program is called the Federal Medical Assistance Program, or FMAP.

Note that they state at the outset that this is not the first time these improper reimbursements have been uncovered in the FMAP program. The fraud appears to be widespread – as does the involvement with Planned Parenthood in providing these services.

Back to the report on Texas. According to the IG report, in a random sampling of family planning services provided in 2007 and 2008 via Planned Parenthood clinics, a total of $129,028 was improperly reimbursed for services that were not eligible for Medicaid or FMAP reimbursement. Again, note that this is only a random sampling for a 19 month period.