Judge temporarily blocks Planned Parenthood’s ouster from Texas Medicaid

After three days of testimony from attorneys for the state and Planned Parenthood, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks is letting the reproductive health provider stay in Medicaid until Feb. 21. U.S. District Court Judge Sam Sparks on Thursday delayed Planned Parenthood’s ouster from the state’s Medicaid program until Feb. 21. The decision comes after three days of testimony and arguments in the U.S. District Court in Austin. The reproductive health provider initially sued more than a year ago, but that lawsuit sat dormant until Dec. 20, when the Texas Health and Human Services Commission put Planned Parenthood on notice that its Medicaid funding would end.