LEXINGTON, Ky. — A controversial federal rule that denies Medicaid funding to abortion providers appears likely to expire this summer as Congress prioritizes other legislation, despite anti-abortion pressure to extend the policy, according to reporting by the Kentucky Lantern.

The rule, enacted last year through President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending law, blocks federal Medicaid reimbursements to organizations providing abortions that received more than $800,000 in Medicaid payments in fiscal year 2023. The policy is set to expire July 4 unless Congress acts to renew it.

Republican congressional leaders have signaled the new federal spending bill being negotiated must be "very narrow and tight" to focus on immigration enforcement amid a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown, reducing the likelihood the provision will be included, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. "We will be looking for opportunities to address not only Planned Parenthood, but some of the other issues that might fit in a reconciliation bill," Thune said.

The rule primarily affects Planned Parenthood, as well as Maine Family Planning and Health Imperatives in Massachusetts. Despite being framed by supporters as an abortion funding ban, the policy actually prevents clinics from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursement for birth control, infection testing and treatment, cancer screenings and other reproductive and primary care services.

Planned Parenthood reports more than 50 health centers across 18 states closed last year, with 23 closures directly attributable to the Medicaid rule. In Kentucky, where Planned Parenthood operates clinics in Lexington and Louisville serving thousands of patients annually, officials have said they have "no plans" to close the locations despite the financial strain.

Federal policy already prohibits Medicaid funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest and life endangerment, yet the broader defunding rule bars reimbursement for all services at affected clinics. Visits for contraception and cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood clinics have dropped by double digits since the rule took effect.

Some states have begun addressing the funding gap. Maine recently passed a budget allocating $5 million annually to support nonabortion reproductive health services, while ten states have collectively committed $300 million to replace federal Medicaid funds. However, that falls far short of the estimated $700 million in annual care Planned Parenthood provided to Medicaid patients before the restriction.

Republican opponents of letting the rule expire argue Medicaid should not fund organizations providing abortions. Supporters counter that federal funds already cannot pay for abortion under existing law, and the broader restrictions harm access to essential health care for low-income Americans.