Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., defended his Obamacare overhaul bill’s defunding of Planned Parenthood for one year, saying the money will go towards health centers in more rural areas.
“Most Planned Parenthood settings are in urban areas,” he said during a CNN town hall Monday, noting there are already a lot of OBGYN doctors in there that can offer cancer screenings.
Cassidy said the bill, which gives Obamacare funding to states via block grants and cuts Medicaid, would ensure more funding goes to rural centers so women don’t have to travel as far to get a cancer screening.
“I feel bringing healthcare to the person than bringing the person to healthcare,” he said. “It’s just a question of how you distribute those dollars.”
The overhaul bill would keep federal funding from going towards medical facilities that provide abortions. The Hyde Amendment prevents federal funding from going to abortions, but federal facilities can get grant funding that pays for other services like birth control or cancer screenings.
Planned Parenthood gets about $500,000 in federal funding each year, and the bill would defund the women’s health and abortion provider for one year.
