2024-03-08 08:00:00
Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to strengthen maternal health, an estimated 691,000 Americans annually are now eligible for essential care for a full year following pregnancy.
Today, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced Utah’s expansion of comprehensive coverage for postpartum individuals for a full 12 months through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ). Today’s announcement marks critical progress in implementing the CMS Maternity Care Action Planthe Biden-Harris Administration Blueprint for Maternal Health, a comprehensive strategy to improve maternal health, particularly in underserved communities. Utah is the 45th state approved for the expanded coverage, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), and made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023), which President Biden signed into law in December. 2022.
“For too long our country has experienced a maternal health crisis in which women die before, during and following childbirth at higher rates than in any other developed nation. We also know that black, indigenous and rural mothers are disproportionately busy with their lives,” said vice- said President Harris. “Since the day we took office, President Biden and I have worked to finally treat maternal mortality as the national crisis it is and expand access to high-quality postpartum care. That’s why I called on states to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months. to 12 months now did, and I applaud Utah for joining so many others in answering my call – for the benefit of millions of women and children across America.
“No woman should die in childbirth in the richest nation in the world,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Forty-five states have now taken a critical step forward and extended continuous coverage for mothers for 12 months following birth. With this step, 4,000 Utah women will now have the security and peace of mind that continuous coverage provides, during one of the most important times in a new parent’s life The Biden-Harris administration looks forward to working with the remaining five states to ensure people have this peace of mind no matter where they live.
“I applaud Utah’s move to extend postpartum coverage to Medicaid and CHIP enrollees for a full year following pregnancy. This approval is also an important milestone toward achieving statewide coverage of this benefit—and I do calling on the remaining five states to follow Utah’s footsteps and expand coverage of full benefits for a full year postpartum in Medicaid and CHIP,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “The Biden-Harris administration continues to prioritize maternal health and the peace of mind that comprehensive health care coverage can provide new mothers and families.”
As a result of today’s announcement, an additional 4,000 people in Utah will be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP coverage for a full year following pregnancy. Medicaid covers 41% of all births in the country and more than half of all children in the country. With the approval of Utah’s plan, 691,000 Americans in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands now have access to expanded postpartum coverage through ARP and the CAA. If all states adopt this option, 725,000 people across the United States would be guaranteed Medicaid or CHIP coverage for 12 months following pregnancy.
Under this option, states might extend postpartum coverage through Medicaid and CHIP from the current mandatory 60-day period to 12 months. Utah is the most recent state to expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage beyond 12 months following pregnancy, joining Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; the US Virgin Islands; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; Washington DC; West Virginia; and Wyoming. CMS continues to work with other states that have proposed adopting the ARP option to extend postpartum coverage to 12 months.
This option for states to expand Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage is part of ongoing efforts by HHS and the Biden-Harris Administration to address disparities in maternal health outcomes by opening the door to postpartum care for hundreds of thousands of people.
Visit Medicaid.gov to learn more regarding the Medicaid and SHIP state plan amendment expansions of postpartum coverage in Utah.
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