Leaders at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England warned Friday that deep cuts to Medicaid included in the latest federal budget proposal could jeopardize health coverage for tens of thousands of Maine residents, many of whom rely on the program for essential services, including reproductive care.

The concern stems from a Republican-backed reconciliation bill, released Monday, that includes a provision barring Planned Parenthood from participating in the Medicaid program. The proposal follows the Trump administration’s decision in March to freeze $65.8 million in federal health care grants — nearly $2 million of which was headed for Maine. Several organizations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging those cuts.

“There isn’t a single voter who voted in November who voted for less access to health care,” Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said during a virtual press conference. “And yet here we are. This is what we are being asked to consider.”

Between June 2023 and July 2024, patients made more than 10,000 visits to Planned Parenthood clinics in Maine, according to organization officials. More than 29% of those visits were covered by Medicaid, and over half of the patients had annual incomes at or below $30,000, placing them under 200% of the federal poverty level — $15,650 for a single individual.

Planned Parenthood leaders say the proposed Medicaid cuts would only intensify the strain already placed on their services. The organization is dealing with low reimbursement rates, lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs of care, and increasing demand for free or discounted services. In a rural state like Maine, where residents often face both financial and geographic barriers to care, officials say the impact would be especially severe.

Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England requested $6 million in state funding last December through a bill pending before the Legislature. The measure has passed both the House and Senate, but its future now hinges on approval during the appropriations process.

“The fact is, we’re a lifeline for Mainers and people all across the region,” said Lisa Margulies, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. “We’re a trusted provider of essential medical care.”

Defunding Planned Parenthood would cost taxpayers $300 million over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office, making it the only health care provision in the bill expected to increase the federal deficit. Combined with other proposed cuts, the draft budget is expected to add $1.5 trillion to the national debt.

“While we’ve heard a lot of talk from Washington about cutting waste and saving money, the truth is, what’s proposed in this bill does the opposite,” Clegg said.

Despite political focus on abortion, Planned Parenthood says those services represent just a small fraction of what they do. In New England, abortion accounts for only 6% to 7% of the services provided. The majority of visits are for birth control, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Clegg noted that when people lose insurance, they often delay care until their conditions worsen, driving up costs for services that could have been managed more affordably earlier on.

Concerns extend beyond Medicaid. Maine Family Planning, a nonprofit that delivers care to underserved populations, had expected to receive $1.9 million in federal Title X funding to support 63 health centers across the state, including those run by Planned Parenthood.

But in April, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that defunding Planned Parenthood was a key priority in President Donald Trump’s economic agenda. Days later, the Trump administration released its draft budget, which proposed eliminating funding for Title X, which supports reproductive health care services but does not pay for abortions.

The same month, Maine Family Planning President and CEO George Hill told the Portland Press Herald that the Trump administration was using a “false pretext” of civil rights violations to justify withholding funds. Clegg echoed that concern, saying this week’s budget draft uses abortion as an “excuse” to dismantle access to affordable health care.

The proposal was dealt a surprising setback Friday when some House Republicans on the Budget Committee joined Democrats to vote against it, but their concerns were that cuts to Medicaid and other programs didn’t go far enough. Lawmakers will continue to negotiate ahead of a possible floor vote next week.

“This is not what voters want,” Clegg said. “Planned Parenthood and access to legal abortion are more popular than the president and Republicans in Congress.”