{"id":294799,"date":"2023-07-17T08:39:04","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=294799"},"modified":"2023-07-16T18:49:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-16T23:49:14","slug":"early-controversy-missouri-governor-postpartum-medicaid-extension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/early-controversy-missouri-governor-postpartum-medicaid-extension\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite early controversy, Missouri governor signs postpartum Medicaid extension into law"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On July 7th, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a <\/span>bill<\/span><\/a> which <\/span>extended postpartum Medicaid coverage<\/span><\/a> to one year after the birth of a child. He followed the example of <\/span>32 states and Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/a> in doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Previously, low-income women received 60 days of Medicaid coverage after giving birth. This was thought to be sufficient, as after six weeks a majority of women are cleared to return to normal activities. However, studies have shown that many pregnancy-related deaths occur after this period. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted a <\/span>study of maternal mortality<\/span><\/a> from 2017 to 2019, which found that the \u201cgreatest proportion of pregnancy-related deaths occurred between 43 days and one year after pregnancy.\u201d The report also states that suicide, cardiovascular disease, and substance abuse were the leading causes of maternal mortality. A majority of these <\/span>deaths were considered preventable<\/span><\/a> with adequate healthcare. The goal of expanding Medicaid coverage to one year postpartum is to ensure better access to healthcare when postpartum complications arise, preventing many deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report was released in 2022, and legislators responded, with the bill receiving overwhelming bi-partisan support; it passed the state Senate with a <\/span>vote of 26-6<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n