Rooted in Justice and Joy: What Black Maternal Health Demands of Us Right Now

This week marks the 10th annual Black Maternal Health Week led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). The theme, Rooted in Justice and Joy, honors a decade of movement-building by Black-led organizations while also naming the systemic forces –systemic oppression, reproductive injustices, and health inequities— that continue to threaten the lives of Black Mamas.…

April 15, 2026

By

Tanesha Mondestin

Blog

Black Maternal Health Week 2025: Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy

The Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) founded Black Maternal Health Week, which is celebrated annually from April 11 to 17 during National Minority Health Month. Black Maternal Health Week amplifies the voices of Black mamas and brings awareness to Black-led maternal health and reproductive justice organizations that advocate for policy change and community-based solutions to…

April 17, 2025

By

Tanesha Mondestin

Blog

Shades of Blue Project Making Shift Happen for Black Maternal Mental Health

Black Maternal Mental Health Week, created by Shades of Blue Project founder Kay Matthews, is celebrated annually from July 19-25. Every year the Shades of Blue Project hosts their Black Maternal Mental Health Summit in Houston, TX during Black Maternal Mental Health Week. The theme of this year’s Black Maternal Mental Health is the Art…

July 25, 2024

By

Tanesha Mondestin

Blog

State Medicaid and CHIP Options Can Help Address Maternal Health Crisis and Eliminate Racial Health Inequities

Two Say Ahh! blogs published during Black Maternal Health Week this April–one from Marquita Little Numan reflecting on her personal birth story and another by Tanesha Mondestin on the Black Mamas Matter Alliance policy agenda – underscored the need for significant policy change to address the ongoing maternal health crisis facing our country, where Black…

April 25, 2023

By

Maggie Clark

and

Maya Millette

Blog

Birthing With Dignity and Facing the Disparities: My Black Maternal Health Week Reflections

By Marquita Little Numan As we recognize Black Maternal Health Week this year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my personal birth experience as a Black mother. In 2021, as we all adjusted to a new normal and navigated life during a pandemic, my family was thankful for a reason to celebrate. We learned…

April 12, 2023

By

Guest

Blog

Mandatory Reporting on Medicaid Quality Measures: What Did Congress Intend?

In August, CMS posted its proposed rule to codify Congressional action taken in 2018 to mandate state reporting of the Child Core Set and the Adult Behavioral Health Core Set of quality measures in Medicaid and CHIP, starting in 2024. Until 2024, state reporting on the core sets is voluntary. I did a quick scan…

October 20, 2022

By

Tricia Brooks

Research & Reports

Build Back Better Act: Health Coverage Provisions Explained

On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, the budget reconciliation bill, with the Senate expected to consider the legislation in coming weeks. The Build Back Better Act includes numerous provisions that would dramatically strengthen and expand both public and private health insurance coverage. Some of the new provisions…

November 19, 2021

By

,

,

and

Blog

Kids with Gaps in Coverage Have Less Access to Care

Last week, we blogged about the 1 in 10 children who were uninsured at some point during the course of the recent uptick in uninsured children and how requiring 12-month continuous eligibility in both Medicaid and CHIP could help reduce racial, income, and geographic disparities in kids’ insurance coverage. This week, we’re taking another look…

October 15, 2021

By

Aubrianna Osorio

and

Joan Alker

Blog

House Energy and Commerce Committee Releases Text of Medicaid/CHIP Reconciliation Provisions

Last night, legislative language was released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee (which has jurisdiction over Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)) – the “Build Back Better Act”. The Committee plans to “mark up” these provisions starting Monday — so things are now moving quickly inside the Beltway to move forward a…

September 10, 2021

By

Joan Alker

Blog

Workplace Wellness Programs Have Overlooked Health Equity

By Julie Zuckerbrod* In 2017, many food service and maintenance staff at Yale University received a notice about a mandatory health screening and “coaching” program. These employees and their spouses were automatically enrolled in the Yale Health Expectations Program (HEP), which required them to complete a series of health services like physical exams, blood tests, and…

February 22, 2021

By

Guest

Blog

Critical Health Equity Context Needed in New Maternal and Infant Health Data Profile

Just before the end of 2020, CMS published a valuable new trove of data on indicators of maternal and infant health in Medicaid, designed to create a profile of the health status of pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. The information is part of several new reports and learning communities launched by CMS to…

January 22, 2021

By

Maggie Clark

and

Alexandra Corcoran

Blog

Limited Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Extensions are a Missed Opportunity

States are continuing to push for extending Medicaid coverage for postpartum women beyond the current federal cutoff of 60 days after the end of their pregnancy. Just in the last month, three more states submitted waiver applications to CMS: Indiana, Georgia, and Texas. Before the end of the year, we submitted comments on Indiana’s limited…

January 7, 2021

By

Maggie Clark

Blog

The End-of-Year COVID Relief Package: Medicaid and CHIP Highlights

After more than the usual end-of-session drama, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) became law on December 27, 2020 (P.L. 116-260). The sprawling, 2,124-page opus includes not just badly needed COVID relief for millions of unemployed Americans but also funding for the entire federal government and protections against surprise medical bills for consumers with private…

January 6, 2021

By

Andy Schneider

Blog

New CCF-Commonwealth Paper Examines How Block Grant Financing Severely Harmed Puerto Rico’s Medicaid Program

My new paper for the Commonwealth Fund analyzes how Puerto Rico’s Medicaid block grant financing contributed to Puerto Rico’s overall fiscal and debt crisis and resulted in a Medicaid program that is far less generous than what is provided in the states. Puerto Rico’s experience thus offers critical lessons to federal and state policymakers about…

January 6, 2021

By

Edwin Park

Research & Reports

Medicaid and CHIP Coverage for Pregnant Women: Federal Requirements, State Options

Introduction Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are key supports for pregnant women and new mothers, as well as their children in the critical early years of life. Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in the United States, including a greater share of births in rural areas, among young women, and…

November 5, 2020

By

Maggie Clark

Blog

National Strategy Needed to Close Health Care Gaps, Protect Children’s Health and Well-Being

New research from the Urban Institute, “Urgent Action Needed to Address Children’s Unmet Health Care Needs during the Pandemic,” identifies the problems families with children are facing and some proven solutions, but explains that without a coordinated, national response, it’s unlikely that the children most at risk will get needed supports. Instead, as the authors…

October 29, 2020

By

Kelly Whitener

Blog

Medicaid Expansion Helped Close Coverage Gaps for Pregnant Women, New Study Finds

Medicaid expansion helped close coverage gaps for low-income women in the months before, during and after pregnancy, reducing the number of women who were uninsured during this critical time, new research published this month in Health Affairs found. The authors define “low-income” as a woman whose income is below 138% FPL, the eligibility limit for…

September 14, 2020

By

Maggie Clark

Blog

New 50-State Scorecard Exposes Missed Opportunities to Address Health Equity

Today The Commonwealth Fund released its annual scorecard on state health system performance. The report pulls together 49 indicators of health coverage, spending, quality and outcomes data to rank state health system performance. The accompanying state profiles provide additional context on the rankings, allowing states to get a comprehensive look at each state’s health care…

September 11, 2020

By

Elisabeth Wright Burak

Blog

New Report Provides State Policy Recommendations on How to Protect Consumers, Reduce Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented threats to health and safety, and exacerbates existing inequities that continue to jeopardize the wellbeing of millions of Americans. As always, state health policy is critical to protecting consumers’ access to health care and addressing health disparities, particularly during the public health and economic crises brought by COVID-19. To help…

August 17, 2020

By

Rachel Schwab

Blog

District Court Finds Public Charge Rules are Against Public’s Best Interest but Appeals Court Limits Injunction to Three States

Editor’s Note: On September 9, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule called Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility that will restore longstanding public charge policy effective December 23, 2022. Learn more in our factsheet. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended every aspect of our lives – health, work, home life, financial stability – and…

August 13, 2020

By

Kelly Whitener

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