ARP Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Expansion

I believe it was 2019 when I was asked to write on women’s healthcare issues. I was not asked because I was an expert. They were asking me because they wanted a male’s perspective on women’s healthcare issues. In particular, the topic was maternal healthcare and mortality. “A Woman’s Right to Safe Healthcare Outcomes” – Angry Bear (angrybearblog.com)

My wife and I were fortunate to have three healthy children born to us. We did lose one birth early on which aborted. My expertise? I was there to witness all of this going on. My wife did all the work. I did the watching and kept my mouth shut.

There are quite a few issues which can arise while a woman gives birth which I detailed in the 2019 post. Having good healthcare insurance is a big factor in having safe deliveries before, during, and after a birth. The first line of this section was healthcare for women and maternal mortality is an important indicator of a nation’s overall quality of healthcare. If a person has healthcare insurance, they will have access to good care although in my story, the woman dies from a disorder called HELLP syndrome or Hemolysis, (a breakdown of red blood cells).

Having a safe delivery is one issue, a healthy baby, is another issue, and the last issue is women’s healthcare after giving birth. Roughly one third of all deaths of women giving birth occurs after giving birth. In 2019 as I wrote, women of Medicaid had 2 months of Postpartum coverage. If you had commercial healthcare insurance, you were covered up to one year. More on this here; Pregnancy-related Deaths | VitalSigns | CDC. Click on the picture to enlarge. Charles Gaba at ACA Signups had a good article up today explaining the extension

of Postpartum coverage under Medicaid to one year. This is within the maternal healthcare standards. And it is available to all women who are on Medicaid. The last time I looked, the Medicaid extension was good until EOY 2025. Charles is talking like it is permanent. I will have to get back on that part.

Here is a little bit of Charles Gaba’s post.

“CMS approves 12-month postpartum Medicaid/CHIP coverage in Indiana & West Virginia, joining 21 other states & DC!” | ACA Signups. The map on the left details which states expanded Medicaid for Postpartum Care. Click on the image to enlarge.

Indiana and West Virginia are the latest states to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage for 12 months following pregnancy, joining California; Connecticut; Florida; Hawaii; Illinois; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; New Jersey; New Mexico; Ohio; Oregon; South Carolina; Tennessee; Virginia; Washington state; and Washington, D.C. CMS continues to work with states that have proposed adopting the ARP option to extend postpartum coverage to 12 months.

An additional 15,000 people annually – including 12,000 in Indiana and 3,000 in West Virginia – will now be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP for a full year after pregnancy.

“HHS Approves 12-Month Extension of Postpartum Care Medicaid and CHIP Coverage in Indiana and West Virginia” | CMS The extension was the result of Democrats and Bidens ARA bill passed early on in the Biden administration.