In response to the provision included in the American Rescue Plan that will enable states to extend pregnancy Medicaid to one year postpartum from its current 60 days, project leads from the Columbia World Project Leveraging Policy to Improve Maternal Health in the Fourth Trimester, Heidi L. Allen, associate professor at the School of Social Work; Jamie Daw, assistant professor at the Mailman School of Public Health; and Kristen Underhill, associate professor at Columbia Law School said:

“Medicaid covers nearly half of U.S. births. However, pregnancy Medicaid coverage is time limited, covering women only during pregnancy and for sixty days postpartum. This results in many low-income women going uninsured shortly after birth, disrupting health care access when women have an elevated risk of morbidity and mortality. The American Rescue Plan includes an option for states to extend pregnancy Medicaid to one year postpartum, making it the most significant expansion of pregnancy related coverage in decades. This option means that states can easily adopt this expansion and receive federal funds to support the costs of the program.

“Our research team is currently working with six states and New York City to conduct a large scale survey of postpartum health care access, health insurance and health outcomes. Since the new postpartum extension is optional for states, this evidence will be incredibly important for making the case to state governments that a postpartum extension should be adopted. The survey can also serve as baseline data, to which a follow-up survey could be compared to measure the impact of state adoption on postpartum outcomes. Since more states are likely to adopt the extension if it is shown to be successful, evidence on the effects of this policy will be critical in making this extension available to as many women as possible, and broadening its potential impact on maternal health.”

Click here to learn more about the work being done and how it can improve postpartum health outcomes in the U.S.