Over the last several months, we’ve seen the Biden Administration approve more than half of states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for one year after the end of pregnancy. Congress too has also considered proposals to require all states to offer 12 months of postpartum Medicaid coverage, which many advocates continue to champion to ensure […]
By Maggie Clark and Kay Johnson As the 117th Congress completes its work in the ”lame duck” session this month, policy makers are considering a range of maternal health policy priorities. These changes are urgently needed: the nation’s maternal mortality rate increased for the fourth year in a row in 2021, and the latest data […]
The Illinois Answers Project has just published a must-read piece of investigative reporting: “Insurance Giant Failed Foster Kids with Inadequate Care.” It raises a number of disturbing questions about the way children in foster care are being treated in the state’s Medicaid managed care program. About the performance of a Centene subsidiary that has contracted […]
We can’t improve what we don’t measure. That’s why it is important for all who want to improve maternal and child health to take a look at a proposed rule now up for comment that provides an important opportunity to increase transparency and accountability for the quality of care delivered through Medicaid and CHIP. The […]
As awareness around the worsening maternal mortality crisis increases, states continue to look towards covering doula care in Medicaid as a potential strategy to improve birth outcomes, particularly for birthing people of color. More than half the states are working towards Medicaid coverage for doula care. But how can states implement these programs effectively and […]
Last month, CMS finalized a rule that lays the groundwork for a major step forward for hospital accountability for maternity care. Tucked inside an annual final rulemaking on Medicare hospital payment, CMS added a new requirement for hospitals to publicly report maternity care quality metrics. Depending on the hospital’s performance, hospitals may be awarded a […]
