Effective Today, States can Extend Medicaid Coverage for Pregnant People from 60 Days to 1 Year Postpartum.
CareQuest Institute for Oral Health® – a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system – commended the strengthening of Medicaid coverage for pregnant people under the American Rescue Plan Act that became effective today. CareQuest Institute also urged states to act quickly to adopt this additional pathway to extend coverage from 60 days to 1 year postpartum.
CareQuest Institute for Oral Health CEO and President Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan issued the following statement:
“We are facing a maternal health crisis across our nation right now. Gaps in health insurance coverage are putting pregnant people at risk, especially Black women, who are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication than white women. Expanding the breadth and duration of maternal health care covered by Medicaid — especially preventive care including oral health — is a critical part of the fight to improve health outcomes for mothers and children. This new pathway will help save lives, and we are urging states to act immediately to make this option available to their residents. While this is a positive development, there is much more to be done to ensure that people, particularly Black women, can access comprehensive pre- and postpartum care for themselves and their babies.”
Congress has made this new pathway available for states to extend coverage through a State Plan Amendment, but states still need to act to adopt it. CMS released guidance on how states can implement this new option.