Change Extends Medicaid Coverage Time For Women After Birth

Washington, DC — A change for women on Medicaid now gives them coverage for 12 months after giving birth compared to the previous postpartum coverage of two months. The chair of the UI Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Christian Pettker, says many serious issues can come up beyond the first two months postpartum.

Pettker says it is very important to monitor these issues following the delivery.

Iowa was one of the last states to approve the extension last legislative session after the federal government started offering permanent matching funds to states that did so. And Iowa lawmakers lowered the income cutoff for women to qualify for Medicaid. It was 375 percent of the federal poverty level. Now it’s 215 percent.   

Share: