Starting today, Medicaid patients in Texas have 12 months of postpartum coverage.
Texas lawmakers passed a postpartum extension, bringing coverage from two months to twelve months, at the end of the last legislative session. The state submitted the extension to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in October, and CMS approved it in January.
“That’s going to be a huge win for the health of folks who are wanting to become pregnant and have successful and healthy pregnancies,” said Stephanie LeBleu, the Title X project director at Every Body Texas.
LeBleu said many people who work in reproductive health have “identified the need” for 12 months of coverage for a long time.
“It’s very encouraging that we have gotten to this place,” she said. “Having a legislature that was able to pass this in a bipartisan way speaks loudly to an interest in supporting maternal health in the state.”
According to the national policy organization KFF, 44 states have implemented the 12-month postpartum extension. Thirty-eight of those states have also expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults; Texas is one of 10 states that has not expanded coverage.
Advocates and researchers have said 12 months of insurance coverage will help lower rates of maternal mortality and morbidity – both of which Texas ranks poorly in.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of pregnancy-related deaths nationwide happen within a year of giving birth. Mental health conditions like postpartum depression and anxiety, bleeding and heart conditions are the top causes for maternal mortality in the United States.
About 84% of the pregnancy-related deaths between 2017 and 2019 were preventable, according to the CDC, and disproportionately affect Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people.
Parkland Health launched a program in 2020 to address these issues and provide more support to postpartum patients. The extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP) program connects patients to nurses and home visits to support their health needs after delivery.
Courtney Johnson, an advanced practice provider with eMCAP, said the program ensures patients “don’t get lost in the system after delivery.”
“It’s decreased a lot of unnecessary ER visits because you’re having that follow-up care with these patients, especially so early on postpartum,” she said.
She’s seen the impact 12 months of coverage has had on her own patients, and thinks the extension is needed.
“Insurance covering it for 12 months is going to be a great thing, especially continuing that care that these patients need,” Johnson said.
The Medicaid postpartum extension is automatically included for people currently enrolled or people who will be enrolled and become pregnant in the future. Coverage will also go into effect for people who were enrolled in Medicaid when pregnant and are still within the 12-month coverage window.
To apply for Medicaid or other federal insurance programs, or to check insurance status, visit YourTexasBenefits.com or call 211.
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org
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