A provision in the big legislative package and a related Supreme Court ruling mark the culmination of a strategy to defund the health care provider that was in full swing by 2007.

The Supreme Court is letting South Carolina block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. For abortion opponents, it's a victory for the idea that states with more restrictive abortion laws shouldn't have to support groups that provide services policymakers disagree with.

Planned Parenthood has said that barring Medicaid coverage could lead to many patients not getting the care they need.