Georgetown CCF: Medicaid Expansion Can Help Treat Maternal Depression

Inside Health Policy

By: Erin Raftery

According to a report published by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, more than 50% of low-income status mothers of infants suffer from depression symptoms and about 40% of low-income states mothers of children suffer from major depressive disorders. Unfortunately, these group of women are not receiving the proper treatments, and CCF reported that Medicaid should be expanded in order to cover the expenses of the treatments necessary for depression. The report also mentioned that maternal depression does not only affect the mothers, but it also affects their children by disrupting their development.

A mother’s untreated depression can hurt children’s health and low-income mothers frequently do not get treatment, according to a new Georgetown Center for Children and Families report. Georgetown CCF says Medicaid should expand coverage of depression treatment for mothers.

Georgetown CCF found that 55 percent of low-income mothers with infants experience symptoms of depression and 37 percent of low-income mothers have children with major depressive disorders that go untreated. Maternal depression can hurt children throughout their lives because it changes children’s brain chemistry and disrupts their stress response system, which leads to both physical and mental health conditions later in life, the group states.

Georgetown CCF said Medicaid expansion can alleviate these issues. Expanding Medicaid to low-income mothers would increase screening for maternal depression. In Medicaid expansion states, preventive care and screenings for depression are considered essential health benefits so beneficiaries cannot be charged for these services. Additionally, behavioral health treatments are covered with little cost to beneficiaries. Also, the cost of a prescription drug treatment cannot exceed $8, Georgetown CCF found.

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