On July 14, 2016, two health care clinics, an Arizona obstetrician-gynecologist, and five Arizona Medicaid patients filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. The plaintiffs sued the Arizona Health Care Containment System under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of the federal Medicaid statute and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief enjoining the defendant from enforcing H.B. 2599.

H.B. 2599 was signed into law on May 17, 2016. The Act empowered the defendant to exclude any entity that "failed to segregate taxpayer dollars from abortions, including the use of taxpayer dollars for any overhead expenses attributable to abortions" from participation in Arizona's Medicaid program.

The plaintiffs claimed that the Act violated the Medicaid Act by denying Medicaid patients their right to receive care from a willing and qualified Medicaid provider of their choice. The plaintiffs also claimed that the Act further violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because it was impermissibly vague and retaliated against abortion providers. Finally, the plaintiffs alleged that the Act violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by singling out health care providers who exercise their constitutionally protected right of offering abortion services.

On August 11, 2016, the defendant advised the plaintiffs that the defendant would put H.B. 2599 into effect only after the proper rulemaking process, which would likely take one to two years. The defendant would not enforce the rule until this process was complete. In response to the defendant's assurances, the plaintiff entered a stipulation of dismissal to the court on September 1, 2016. On September 7, 2016, Judge Roslyn Silver granted the dismissal without prejudice.

Gabriela Hybel - 03/13/2017


compress summary