New York Extends Medicaid Postpartum Coverage to 12 Months After Birth

New York has extended Medicaid postpartum coverage, marking the 35th state that will provide comprehensive coverage to individuals for 12 months after pregnancy, HHS and CMS announced.

“New York’s decision to extend postpartum coverage for a full year after pregnancy marks a significant milestone for improving maternal health,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the press release. “The Biden-Harris Administration has demonstrated leadership in confronting the nation’s maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, and HHS will continue to support policies and programs that help ensure the health of mothers and babies.” 

The expansion is a part of the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan, which supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy to improve maternal health in underserved communities, as outlined in the administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint.

The extension will allow up to 26,000 additional people in New York to receive Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for a full year after pregnancy. Medicaid covers 41 percent of all births and more than half of all children in the United States.

Following New York’s approval, almost 510,000 Americans across 35 states and Washington, DC, can access Medicaid coverage up to a year after giving birth instead of only during the mandatory 60-day period. As many as 720,000 people could benefit from this extended coverage if all states chose this path.

The expanded coverage option was made possible under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and then made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

The other states that have adopted this option include Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC.

Medicaid can be a critical source of coverage for pregnant people, especially as maternal mortality and health disparities persist.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that maternal deaths in the US in 2021 totaled 1,205, up from 861 deaths in 2020. The 2021 maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births.

According to HHS, one in three pregnancy-related deaths occurs between six weeks and one year after childbirth, highlighting the importance of access to care during the postpartum period.

In addition to extending coverage to 12 months after childbirth, research has found that adopting Medicaid expansion can help reduce maternal health disparities. One study found that Medicaid expansion was associated with a decline in postpartum hospitalizations during the first six months after delivery.

Midwives and birth centers have also proved beneficial for Medicaid beneficiaries, improving maternal health outcomes and access to prenatal care.