In a decisive move, the North Carolina Senate voted 28-20 on September 22, 2025 to pass House Bill 192 titled Defund Planned Parenthood & Cost Transparency. With the Senate vote secured, the bill now awaits the signature of Democratic Governor Josh Stein to become law.
What does this bill do?
House Bill 192 would have sweeping implications for taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood in North Carolina:
- It requires the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Health Benefits, to disenroll Planned Parenthood (and associated entities) as a Medicaid provider and terminate any Medicaid contracts with them.
- It directs the DHHS to engage other Medicaid providers to deliver other healthcare-related services (not abortion) which Planned Parenthood had occasionally been providing under Medicaid.
- It also contains a separate component demanding cost transparency in hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities, such as requiring itemized lists of charges, “good faith estimates” for shoppable services, and limits on how much the final bill can exceed the estimate.
“This could be a huge a pro-life victory and another hit to Planned Parenthood, ensuring that no taxpayer dollars via Medicaid reimbursement flow to the biggest member of the abortion cartel in America,” said Troy Newman, Operation Rescue President.
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“If the Governor signs HB 192 into law Planned Parenthood’s clinics in North Carolina will no longer receive taxpayer dollars to extend their killing services, potentially reducing the organization’s revenue and capacity, thus saving many innocent lives,” added Newman.
Other positive implications
Under HB 192 the state will begin shifting Medicaid‐funded services (such as STI screening, cancer‐screening, contraception, etc.) to alternate providers that do not provide abortions. County health departments, federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs), or other nonprofit clinics will take up that work.
Newman states, “Following the lead of other states that have defunded Planned Parenthood, like Texas and South Carolina, this new law serves as another model for states looking to pass similar commonsense laws, reinforcing that state Medicaid programs can legally exclude abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood. Once signed, this victory is another crucial step towards defunding the structure of the abortion cartel and signaling a path to abolish abortion in America.”
Indeed, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision for Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic has already affirmed that states may exclude Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid payouts. This could prepare the stage for wider and bigger pro-life victories.
“Critics argue that there is concern about access gaps, especially in rural counties where Planned Parenthood provided some ‘preventive’ services,” adds Newman. “However, we know abortion is Planned Parenthood’s specialty and undoubtedly its main service. This bill opens funding for other potential providers that actually offer real healthcare services.”
Current status and outlook
Right now, HB 192 has successfully passed both the House and the Senate. The next step is for the Governor to sign it into law. Once signed, implementation, including disenrolling Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider and shifting other services would follow. Until that signature, the bill remains pending.
At the writing of this article, Governor Josh Stein has neither signed nor vetoed the bill.
In May of 2023, then-Governor Roy Cooper attempted to veto a bill passed by the North Carolina legislature that limited abortion to 12 weeks. In a historical victory, both chambers voted to override Cooper’s veto and the life-saving bill went into effect.
“We pray that Governor Stein might recognize better than his predecessor the will of the people shown through a legislative process of elected representatives – men and women chosen by North Carolina voters,” says Newman. “May he be guided by the Lord and good common sense, and sign this bill that will save lives and expand authentic healthcare options for women.”
LifeNews Note: This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Ricardo Pinedo, writes for Operation Rescue.”
