(TheIndyChannel.com) WASHINGTON –The Health and Human Services Department said Wednesday afternoon that Indiana’s Medicaid plan, which bans funding to Planned Parenthood, is illegal and must be changed.

In a letter sent to Indiana’s Medicaid director, Medicaid Administrator Donald M. Berwick said Indiana’s plan will improperly bar Medicaid beneficiaries from receiving services. Berwick writes that federal law requires Medicaid beneficiaries to be able to obtain services from any provider qualified to provide services.

The notification comes after Indiana passed a law banning federal funding to Planned Parenthood and as other states consider similar bans. Indiana can change its plan to conform with federal law, or the state could face penalties.

How can anyone promote free choice in some departments (sexuality) and not in others (economics)?