Pennsylvania Medicaid now covers a full year of postpartum care

Pennsylvania received federal approval Thursday to expand Medicaid coverage to a full year after pregnancy, a change intended to improve access to critical postpartum care and reduce maternal mortality rates.

Previously, coverage for people who qualified for Medicaid because they were pregnant ended 60 days after they gave birth. Pennsylvania announced in April it was extending coverage as part of the American Rescue Plan. Approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services means Pennsylvania can receive federal funding for the initiative.

“This Medicaid extension is a lifesaving investment in postpartum care,” said Meg Snead, acting secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, in April when the expansion was announced.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey (whose plan was previously approved by CMS) are among 26 states whose Medicaid programs now cover a year of postpartum care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.

» READ MORE: New moms keep dying in the weeks after birth, and the risk remains highest among Black women

The United States has long had the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, and Black people are four times more likely than white people to die of pregnancy-related causes. While efforts to address maternal deaths have largely focused on reducing risks during pregnancy and birth, research shows a large portion of deaths occur after new parents are sent home and are no longer being tracked as closely by health-care providers.

For instance, about half of the 110 pregnancy-associated deaths in Philadelphia between 2013 and 2018 occurred between six weeks and a year after birth — in most cases outside the former 60-day coverage limit.

Patient advocates and public health leaders say that expanding Medicaid, the state and federally funded health program for low-income individuals, reduces cost barriers that new parents may face when they seek postpartum care, while also helping health systems to better monitor patients who may be at higher risk for complications.

About 30% of births in Pennsylvania are covered by Medicaid, and it was the primary payer in over half of pregnancy-associated deaths, according to Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services.