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Opportunities to support maternal and child health through Medicaid’s new postpartum coverage extension
Opportunities to support maternal and child health through Medicaid’s new postpartum coverage extension
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Clark, Maggie, (Of Georgetown University, Center for Children and Families), author
Burak, Elisabeth Wright, author - Contributor(s):
- Georgetown University. Center for Children and Families, issuing body.
- Publication:
- [Washington, DC] : Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children and Families, July 2022
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Infant Health -- economics
Insurance Coverage
Maternal Health -- economics
Maternal-Child Health Services -- economics
Medicaid
Postnatal Care -- economics
United States - Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- The new state option to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage for one year after the end of pregnancy is a transformational opportunity for states to support improved maternal and infant health in the year following birth. It also offers state Medicaid leaders a focused moment to use the successful implementation of the new policy to advance broader state priorities, including advancing racial justice and health equity, increasing access to mental health care, and supporting healthy child development. Medicaid finances nearly half of all births annually, covering a disproportionate share of births among Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women--the groups at the greatest risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. Yet when Medicaid coverage for pregnancy ends after just 60 days postpartum, about half of people enrolled become uninsured, cutting off their access to care at a critical time. Having health insurance is necessary but not sufficient to solve the serious and ongoing maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in United States where Black women continue to experience maternal death at rates more than twice the national average. It will take policy changes and investments by federal and state governments to tackle all facets of this complex challenge. The recently released, “White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis” offers an example of the scope of work needed to make the systemic changes necessary to improve maternal health outcomes. So far, more than 30 states are in various stages of implementation of 12-month postpartum coverage extension, which requires official federal approval. Still more states are continuing to advance the policy in ongoing legislative sessions. This swift uptake signals broad bipartisan support for this policy change--policymakers have allocated funds to extend 12 months of postpartum coverage in 20 states led by Democratic governors and 13 states led by Republican governors. If all states were to adopt the coverage extension, an estimated 720,000 additional people each year would gain access to a full year of postpartum health coverage who might have otherwise lost coverage just two months after the end of pregnancy. All told, successfully implementing the option to extend 12 months of postpartum coverage could affect all of the nearly two million mother-baby pairs with Medicaid-financed births each year. The postpartum extension can also serve as a launch pad for states to drive improvements in maternal health and early childhood development through health transformation initiatives. By prioritizing person-centered care and supporting the health of the relationship between mother and child, states can also make progress towards mitigating the harms of racism and implicit bias, which are linked to increased risks of babies born preterm and at low birth weight.8 The CDC reports that experiences of racism and implicit bias may contribute to the persistently high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (13 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918523077406676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918523077406676