Texas mothers on Medicaid can currently keep their health coverage for just two months after giving birth.
They would keep it for half a year instead under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday. #TXlege bit.ly/3fM2Sh2
They would keep it for half a year instead under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday. #TXlege bit.ly/3fM2Sh2
2/ Maternal health advocates said the bill — originally pitched as a one-year extension — could reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate and offer vital help to mothers with conditions like postpartum depression or health complications in the months after giving birth.
3/ The proposal stands to affect tens of thousands of women in Texas.
About half the babies in Texas are born to mothers on Medicaid — about 181,000 in 2018.
Black women die disproportionately while pregnant or after delivery, according to state reports.
About half the babies in Texas are born to mothers on Medicaid — about 181,000 in 2018.
Black women die disproportionately while pregnant or after delivery, according to state reports.
4/ The six-month extension in the Senate’s version of House Bill 133 is stingier than a proposal overwhelmingly passed by the House earlier this year, with the backing of the Republican House speaker.
Changes will likely be negotiated by lawmakers behind closed doors.
Changes will likely be negotiated by lawmakers behind closed doors.
5/ The House's version would give mothers a full year of postpartum coverage in line with recommendations from experts and a state committee devoted to studying maternal mortality.
6/6 Mother and former Medicaid recipient Juanita Raji said an extension would be invaluable for Black mothers in particular. Listen to her story: bit.ly/3p2xE9t
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