The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a unit of HHS, has notified Louisiana and Alabama, which have taken action to terminate their Medicaid provider agreements with Planned Parenthood, that they may be in conflict with federal law, according to HHS. CMS said that, by restricting which provider a woman could choose to receive care from, women could lose access to critical preventive care, such as cancer screenings.

The agency reached out to Louisiana’s Medicaid director on Aug. 5 and spoke with Alabama’s Medicaid agency on Aug. 7. CMS said it provided both states with guidance it released in 2011 on this issue. The June 2011 memo says states aren't permitted to exclude providers from Medicaid solely on the basis of the range of medical services they provide. The memo says states may exclude providers under certain circumstances, such as when providers commit fraud or certain criminal acts.