Big big news mamas!
On April 1, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the new option for states to extend Medicaid and CHIP coverage for a full 12 months postpartum is now in effect. For those of you who are on Medicaid, this is a huge deal. Prior to this, you only had two months of postpartum coverage after your baby arrives!
In states that have elected to extend the funding, mothers who otherwise would not be eligible for Medicaid outside of pregnancy will now receive 12 months of health care coverage. This has the potential to help hundreds of thousands of mothers and is a critical step towards increasing access to maternal health and maternal mental health care! The Biden Administration indicates that this is part of their broader strategy to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Ok Kamala!
So if you had applied for Medicaid in the past and you were denied, or you didn't think that you qualified, I suggest you attempt to reapply now for coverage.
To learn more about which states have taken action to extend Medicaid, review this March 2022 report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission.