Rasi Bhadramani/istock via Getty

News

Safety-net clinics, Planned Parenthood key to contraceptive access

New KFF data shows that safety-net clinics and Planned Parenthood are key providers of contraceptive care, but funding changes jeopardize access.

Sara Heath
By
Published: 02 Dec 2025

Nearly half of Medicaid beneficiaries looking to secure contraceptive access did so at a safety-net clinic, according to new figures from KFF. These findings underscore the role these clinics play in sexual and reproductive healthcare, even as federal funding for these clinics hangs in the balance, the organization said.

According to the report, Medicaid is among the biggest source of coverage for low-income people and the largest publicly funded program that finances family planning care.

"Over the past year, a combination of actions by the Trump Administration, Supreme Court rulings, and new federal laws have begun to constrict the resources available to many of the providers that comprise this network," the report authors wrote. "These actions have considerable implications for the future of this safety net and ultimately for access to contraceptive care for low-income people."

Where do Medicaid members get contraceptive care?

Using 2023 data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System Research Files, the KFF researchers analyzed where Medicaid members access contraceptive care.

Currently, Medicaid members seeking contraceptive care do so mostly at office-based providers or outpatient clinics, with 54% doing as much.

However, the role safety-net clinics -- Planned Parenthood clinics, community health centers, state and local health departments and the Indian Health Services -- play cannot go unnoticed. Overall, 43% of female Medicaid enrollees sought contraceptive care at one of those safety-net clinics.

Nationwide, contraceptive access at community health centers was 18%, with as many as 46% of female Medicaid enrollees in D.C. visiting a community health center and as little as 4% doing the same in Wisconsin.

State and local health departments were less common sources of contraceptive care, with about 6% of female Medicaid enrollees nationwide accessing care. Similarly, 1% of female Medicaid enrollees sought contraceptive care at an Indian Health Services clinic.

But for Planned Parenthood, access was high, especially in states that still enable strong financing streams for the clinics.

About a fifth (18%) of female Medicaid enrollees nationwide accessed contraceptive care at a Planned Parenthood. In California, that figure was 47%, while a third of female Medicaid enrollees in Wisconsin accessed contraceptive care at Planned Parenthood and about a fifth of those in Connecticut, Oregon and Washington State did the same.

In Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Wyoming, West Virginia and Texas, no Medicaid enrollees accessed care at a Planned Parenthood because these states do not have any Planned Parenthood clinics.

Federal funding implications for contraceptive access

These state-based disparities in contraceptive access at Planned Parenthood are likely the result of variable Medicaid policies and funding changes, KFF indicated. When states place limits on Planned Parenthood, it affects reimbursement and, therefore, whether the clinic has the revenue to remain open.

For example, the June 2025 Supreme Court ruling in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic created a precedent for states to disqualify Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs. In addition, state Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics has also been impacted in states where the anti-abortion movement is strong.

Limitations in Medicaid funding has a direct impact on clinic operations and revenue streams,resulting in clinic closures.

Conversely, some states have provided their own supplemental funds to Planned Parenthood to help bolster the clinics, thus leading to the state-based disparities seen in this KFF report.

But recent policy changes are slated to change federal funding, which could impact access nationwide.

For example, the 2025 Federal Reconciliation Bill includes provisions that ban federal Medicaid funding for one year, which directly impacts Planned Parenthood operations. According to KFF, this provision is currently being argued in the courts, but the federal funding is currently blocked and is impacting clinics nationwide.

What's more, the 2025 Federal Reconciliation Bill also made changes to Medicaid eligibility by introducing work requirements. Previous analyses have found that Medicaid work requirements will likely cost 5 million people their coverage, which could directly impact revenue and operations for safety-net clinics.

The KFF authors suggested that variable Planned Parenthood access could be a bellwether of trends to come, especially given upcoming federal policy changes.

"Combined, these policies and cuts to funding for family planning care are expected to have a direct impact on the availability of affordable and effective contraception to those who want or need it and will likely increase the number of individuals living in contraceptive deserts and who potentially experience an undesired pregnancy," the researchers concluded. "The impacts of these policies will vary considerably from state to state by provider type."

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.

Dig Deeper on Patient advocacy