The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that states can bar Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. The federal government and many states already block using Medicaid funds to cover abortion.

Ruling says Medicaid patients cannot sue to get non-abortion health care from Planned Parenthood if states have cut off government funding for those clinics.

The ruling limits the rights of Medicaid patients to choose their own health care provider. It could have consequences far beyond South Carolina.