Washington, D.C.-(ENEWSPF)- Missouri has gained approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage. This extends Medicaid coverage after pregnancy from 60 days to a full year. The move marks Missouri as the 40th state to adopt such an extension. This is a milestone Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) celebrates.
Congresswoman Kelly, who has dedicated much of her tenure to addressing the maternal mortality crisis, especially among Black women, played a pivotal role in advocating for the Medicaid postpartum extension. Initially securing its inclusion in the American Rescue Plan, she further ensured its permanence in December 2022. Illinois, Rep. Kelly’s home state, was the first to implement the extension. Her proposed CARE For Moms Act seeks to mandate the one-year extension in every state.
Medicaid Postpartum Coverage is Essential
Having championed various bipartisan legislative initiatives supporting maternal healthcare, Rep. Kelly’s efforts have resulted in enacting essential laws such as the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, the PREEMIE Act, and the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act. Her leadership roles in Congress underscore her commitment to addressing maternal health disparities, specifically:
- as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust,
- Co-Chair of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus,
- and Co-Chair of the Caucus on Black Women and Girls
Expressing her enthusiasm for the progress made, Congresswoman Kelly stated, “I am thrilled that 40 states have implemented a full year of Medicaid postpartum coverage. This evidence-driven and impactful reform will save countless lives and support millions of American families. I was proud to spearhead the push for Medicaid postpartum coverage in Congress. Likewise, I am optimistic that the remaining ten states will take similar steps to protect mothers and babies.
“I look forward to building on this progress and passing the CARE For Moms Act, my comprehensive solution to the maternal mortality crisis.”
Note: OpenAI wrote the rough outline for this article or completed the initial editing of a press release sent to eNews Park Forest. Other journalists of the Local News Alliance, a nascent organization of five local online publishers, and I decided to experiment with this technology and learn its possibilities and limitations. One requirement of using the technology we agreed on is acknowledging our use of this tech in articles it helps us produce.
In this case, we used it to rewrite the release from Congresswoman Kelly’s office.
