Maternal Health
Medicaid Funding for Home Visiting: Time to Scale What Works for Young Children and Families
As more states adopt Medicaid’s postpartum extension, making health coverage work for postpartum people and their newborns requires dedicated attention by states on the best ways to ensure mom and child get the right care at the right time. One popular, evidence-based intervention for young families is home visiting. The approach typically includes some combination […]
Maternal Mental Health Month Shines Light on Need for Policy Solutions
May is a month for moms: we celebrate Mother’s Day, it’s maternal mental health awareness month, and Congressional leaders chose May to reintroduce the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, a group of a dozen bills designed to address all facets of the Black maternal mortality crisis. Giving birth and taking care of a young child is […]
More States Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage as Three States Fall Behind
Just this month, Missouri and Alaska joined the growing list of states where their legislatures approved extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months, following Mississippi, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and other states that have acted this year. CMS is expected to approve the extensions after the states submit their state plan amendment […]
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 […]
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 […]
New Brief: States Focus on Improving Maternal Health Outcomes Amid Worsening Maternal Mortality Crisis
The U.S. continues to experience a worsening maternal mortality crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the maternal mortality rate for all women nearly doubled between 2018 to 2021, climbing from 17.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 births in 2018 to 32.9 maternal deaths […]