A whistleblower lawsuit against Planned Parenthood could put the baby killing factory on the hook for as much as $1.8 billion in fraudulent Medicaid claims.
Doe v. Planned Parenthood was filed in 2021 under the False Claims Act by an anonymous whistleblower. The lawsuit accuses Planned Parenthood of continuing to bill Medicaid for services in Texas and Louisiana after both states revoked the abortion giant’s eligibility in 2015, and while their provider status was under review.
The two states revoked the organization’s Medicaid eligibility after they were exposed for selling fetal tissue and organs. Louisiana and Texas quickly moved to revoke the organization’s Medicaid eligibility, although court orders delayed the revocation.
During the delay, the group continued to make Medicaid reimbursement claims. In 2020, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states.
“As the courts debated Planned Parenthood’s eligibility, the group continued to make Medicaid reimbursement claims despite the uncertain status until 2020, when the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states,” the lawsuit alleges.
Designed to protect taxpayer dollars from fraudulent actors, the False Claims Act requires that “any person who knowingly submits, or causes to submit, false claims to the government is liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty that is linked to inflation,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Thursday in Doe v. Planned Parenthood, focusing on whether the pro-abortion organization’s national office could be held liable for advising affiliates in Texas and Louisiana to keep billing Medicaid during the litigation.
In an op-ed for The Hill, pro-life leader and legal expert Jennie Bradley Lichter called the case “the most important case you’ve never heard of” and an “existential threat” to Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood’s access to tax dollars has also been limited by the Supreme Court ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which upheld states’ authority to decide whether abortion providers qualify for Medicaid reimbursements.
Against this backdrop, the under-the-radar case of U.S. ex rel. Doe v. Planned Parenthood represents an existential threat to Planned Parenthood.
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Now, Planned Parenthood could be on the hook for treble damages, civil penalties, interest and legal fees, pushing its total potential liability in the pending case past $1.8 billion — a financial catastrophe for the abortion giant that could hasten its end.
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