(The Center Square) – The Georgia Senate has approved a bill that would lengthen Medicaid coverage for new mothers.
Under Senate Bill 338, new mothers would receive Medicaid coverage for one year after giving birth. The state’s current policy provides health coverage for up to six months.
The Senate unanimously approved SB 338, 54-0, on Monday. Supporters of the bill said the expansion of the program is needed to address maternal health issues.
Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, a longtime member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said the legislation is “a great leap forward.”
“A lot of people don’t – that aren’t that close to the health policy issues – don’t even realize how many women die in that period following delivery,” Orrock said. “There are particular heart malfunctions that can occur and kill a woman just before you know it.”
The state’s maternal mortality review committee recommended the extension. The group of medical professionals has been reviewing each case of maternal death for eight years to find ways to reduce future deaths.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, Georgia’s maternal death rate is 34 deaths per 100,000. The national maternal death rate is 20.1 per 100,000, data shows. If the bill becomes law, it would be the second expansion of maternal Medicaid coverage.
Pregnant women making less than 220% of the federal poverty line – or less than $37,928 a year for a family of two – could receive Medicaid until up to 60 days after giving birth or having a miscarriage before the federal government approved the state’s waiver to extend it to six months in April. Gov. Brian Kemp signed a measure into law in 2020 that made the initial extension law.
The American Rescue Plan Act gives states the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to a year. Fifteen states have enacted legislation to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage, according to Kaiser Family Foundation.
If the bill becomes law, state health officials would have to submit a Medicaid plan amendment or waiver request to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approval. This new option takes effect April 1 and is available to states for five years under current federal guidance.
Kemp is expected to sign the bill, which must first be approved by the House. The governor earmarked more than $28 million in his spending proposal for the next two years for the extension. Medicaid is partially funded with federal dollars.
