Just over four months after Planned Parenthood affiliates were defunded by the Trump administration, California injected another $90 million lifeline in “reproductive healthcare” grants to the state’s seven affiliates — among the largest in the United States.
The latest funding comes as a result of legislation, Senate Bill 106, passed by state lawmakers and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Feb. 11.
Since last fall, California has provided $235 million to the state’s seven Planned Parenthood affiliates — with the Planned Parenthood of Orange County and San Bernardino counted as among one of the largest in the nation as measured in patient volume. The affiliate serves more than 130,000 patients annually across nine health centers in both counties.
Newsom provided $145 million to the Planned Parenthood affiliates last October.
“While the Trump administration and its allies in Congress pushed to deny patients essential, lifesaving care, we are fortunate that our leaders in California are serious about protecting access to vital reproductive health services,” said Nichole Ramirez, in a statement provided to the Southern California News Group.
The latest cash infusion allows Planned Parenthood affiliates to continue providing their communities with reproductive health care, including abortion care, birth control, cancer screening, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, gynecological exams, screenings for breast and cervical cancer, Pap smears to detect cell changes in a cervix,and urinary tract infection testing and treatment.
The defunding came after Congressional Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”
The law, signed by Trump on July 4, 2025, includes a provision that restricts federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any of its affiliates or clinics for one year. That provision was paused under a court injunction in July, but was restored when the court order was stayed Sept. 11. Congressional Republican members said — as it stands — the defunding provision would renew annually.
Planned Parenthood in California said it isn’t out of the funding woods yet.
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” contains other “cruel and devastating cuts to Medicaid,” Ramirez said. “The long-term, future ability of Planned Parenthood health centers to serve the needs of their patients remain uncertain even if the current federal ‘defund’ expires this July.”
California’s emergency funding is part of the state’s fiscal budget year ending June 30, 2026, while federal defunding is set to expire on July 4, 2026.
“We still do not know what the federal government intends to do beyond that point,” Ramirez said.
Medi-Cal funding unknown
In October, the cash-strapped Planned Parenthood of Orange County and San Bernardino laid of 81 people as it shuttered Melody Health, its primary care practice, as a result of the Trump administration blocking the healthcare organization from receiving Medicaid funds.
Medicaid provides healthcare coverage for eligible low-income individuals, including children and their families, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Before July 2025, federal funding through Medicaid reimbursement was 50% of the local affiliate’s annual operating budget of $100 million.
In California, more than 80% of patients who come to Planned Parenthood for health care are enrolled in Medi-Cal, according to Ramirez.
As a result of last year’s “defund provision,” more than 100 Planned Parenthood health centers across the state cannot receive reimbursement in Medi-Cal programs through June 2026. “That has resulted in the state losing over $300 million in federal Medicaid funding for family planning services — and jeopardized the over $400 million in Medi-Cal revenue that affiliates are paid annually for services,” according to Ramirez.
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, providing free or low-cost comprehensive coverage to low-income residents, including families, children, seniors and people with disabilities.
Ramirez maintained that the Planned Parenthood health centers in the state are “the backbone of reproductive health care” in the Medi-Cal system — a program covering 15 million Californians. “Without Planned Parenthood, the remaining community clinics in the Medi-Cal system would be unable to absorb Planned Parenthood’s patient volume and Californians would lose access to basic reproductive healthcare services,” she said.
Planned Parenthood said terminating Melody Health affected more than 13,000 patients enrolled at its seven clinics in Orange and San Bernardino counties. The clinics provided primary care services such as annual wellness checks, cold and flu treatment, vaccines, diabetes management and behavioral health services.
Melody Health had been co-located at seven Planned Parenthood healths centers in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Westminster, San Bernardino and Upland.
The nine PP health centers were not affected by the Melody closures.
Four of the 81 staff position cuts last year came about as a result of a pullback in federal funding to the California Personal Responsibility Education Program, also known as CA PREP, as well as grant funding from the Health and Human Services Department which historically supported Planned Parenthood’s sexual education programs for the LGBTQ community in the two-county area.
The Melody Health layoffs included physicians, nurses and administrative staff. The Southern California affiliate still employs 450 healthcare professionals and administrative staff.