Postpartum Medicaid Extension

A significant amount of births in America – about 40% – are supported by Medicaid. Current federal law requires states to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage to patients for at least 60 days postpartum. Maternal mortality, already too high in the United States, increased following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Office of Health Policy, “one in three pregnancy-related deaths occur between one week and one year after childbirth.” In response, Congress included a provision in The American Rescue Plan to make it easier for states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months. The resources in this toolkit are designed to help advocates stay up-to-date on efforts to expand and implement postpartum Medicaid extension.

Postpartum Medicaid Extension 101

In this section, you’ll find information on the importance of postpartum Medicaid abortion. We’ve gathered issue briefs and fact sheets that explain the process, articles from public health organizations that outline the necessity for this coverage, and research that illustrates the impact postpartum Medicaid extension could have on perinatal health.

Medicaid Postpartum Coverage [Power to Decide, 6/23]
Medicaid After Pregnancy: State-Level Implications of Extending Postpartum Coverage (2023 Update) [ASPE, 4/7/23]
FACT SHEET: President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’s Maternal Health Blueprint Delivers for Women, Mothers, and Families [The White House, 6/24/22]
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS: Extending Medicaid Coverage for Pregnant People Beyond 60 Days Postpartum [ACOG, 3/22]
States Act on Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [National Conference of State Legislatures, 3/29/22]
Supporting Parents and Newborns for a Healthier New Mexico [Voices for Children, 11/21]
Expanding Medicaid Coverage for Birthing People to One Year Postpartum [American Public Health Association, 8/26/21]
Extended Coverage Option in Medicaid for Postpartum Women [Franklin Pierce School of Law Institute for Health Policy & Practice, 5/19/21]
Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [Kaiser Family Foundation, 3/9/21]
Medicaid & Maternal Mental Health [Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, 3/2/21]
Closing Gaps in Maternal Health Coverage: Assessing the Potential of a Postpartum Medicaid/CHIP Extension [The Commonwealth Fund, 1/29/21]
Uninsured New Mothers’ Health and Health Care Challenges Highlight the Benefits of Increasing Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [Urban Institute, 5/20]
Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [ACOG, Date unknown]

More States OK Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Beyond Two Months [Kaiser Family Foundation, 6/1/23]
States Support Postpartum Health with Medicaid Expansions [Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, 5/18/23]
More States Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage as Three States Fall Behind [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 5/12/23]
Permanent Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Option, Maternal Health Infrastructure Investments in 2022 Year-End Omnibus Bill [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 1/4/23]
Improving Maternal Health by Extending Medicaid Postpartum Coverage [The Commonwealth Fund, 12/7/22]
New Brief: Postpartum Medicaid Extension An Opportunity to Improve Maternal and Child Health, But Impact Limited Without Medicaid Expansion [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 7/15/22]
Opportunities to Support Maternal and Child Health Through Medicaid’s New Postpartum Coverage Extension [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 7/15/22]
Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage: A Racial and Gender Justice Imperative [Gender Policy Journal, 7/11/22]
Optional 12 Months Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Leaves Opportunity to do More [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 3/16/21]
We Must Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [Scientific American, 3/11/21]
House-Passed American Rescue Plan Act Would Spur Medicaid Expansion and Promote Maternal Health [Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, 3/1/21]
Extended Medicaid Coverage Would Help Postpartum Patients With Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder [Pew Trusts, 1/14/21]
Promoting Better Maternal Health Outcomes by Closing the Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Gap [The Century Foundation, 11/16/20]
Medicaid Expansion Improves Postpartum Coverage, Access to Care [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 10/21/20]
State and Federal Policymakers Should Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 8/27/20]
It’s Past Time To Provide Continuous Medicaid Coverage For One Year Postpartum [Health Affairs, 2/6/20]

The Fourth Trimester: Promising Possibilities through Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Expansion [National Library of Medicine, 5/11/23]
Medicaid Expansion Led To Reductions In Postpartum Hospitalizations [Health Affairs, 1/23/23]
Expanding Medicaid led to decreased postpartum hospitalizations [Brown, 1/9/23]
Extending Postpartum Medicaid Beyond 60 Days Improves Care Access and Uncovers Unmet Needs in a Texas Medicaid Health Maintenance Organization [National Library of Medicine, 5/3/22]
Does Medicaid Expansion Impact Postpartum Coverage, Outpatient Visits, and Racial Disparities? [NIHCM Foundation Data Sights, 12/21]
Promoting Continuous Coverage during the Postpartum Period [Urban Institute, 9/23/21]
Factors Associated With Postpartum Uninsurance Among Medicaid-Paid Births [JAMA Network, 6/14/21]
Postpartum Medicaid Extension to Address Racial Inequity in Maternal Mortality [National Library of Medicine, 2/21]

Tools and Resources

In this section of the toolkit, you’ll find resources that will help you stay up-to-date on the rapidly changing state-by-state landscape of postpartum Medicaid extension, as well as resources designed to help supporters advocate for this important policy.