“Improving Maternal Health and Extending Postpartum Coverage in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)”. The letter does mention that Black and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals are up to five times more likely than White individuals to die from pregnancy-related complications and they are more likely to have a preventable death. The letter also states that Black individuals who had gestational diabetes were found to have among the lowest postpartum diabetes screening rates despite having the highest risk for progression to chronic diabetes (“DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES,” 2021). With this rule it will extend postpartum coverage options and provide care to individuals that can reduce the number of pregnancy-related deaths and improve continuity of care for individuals that have diabetes, hypertension, cardiac conditions, substance use disorder, and even depression. Under the current law, pregnant women that receive Medicaid are eligible for pregnancy-related services for a 60-day period, beginning on the last day of pregnancy ends, when the child is born. The individuals are covered for 60 days for post-partum care, this is referred to as “60-day postpartum period”. The new plan is to provide individuals with 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage regardless of any changes in circumstances or how the pregnancy ends. States that do not elect the extended postpartum coverage option must continue to provide the 60-day postpartum period care as currently required. I feel that all states should offer this new extended coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries to help new mothers or mothers from lower income with their postpartum care. I feel that this could help these mothers with serious medical issues and help them work through them as well so that they can have a better life and better chances of surviving postpartum.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES. (2021). https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho21007.pdf
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