NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee and South Carolina are joining five other states in extending health care coverage to women with low to modest incomes for a full year after childbirth, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Friday.
States are currently required to provide 60 days of coverage after childbirth, but medical experts say women can die from pregnancy-related conditions up to a year after giving birth and that most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Maternal mortality is particularly serious for Black women, whose pregnancy-related death rate is three times that of white women.
TennCare is Tennessee’s version of Medicaid — the federal-state program covering about one in five Americans, from many newborns to low-income adults and frail nursing home residents. The program pays for about four out of every 10 births in the United States.
About 700 U.S. women die annually because of pregnancy-related problems, a little over half after the woman has given birth, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 12% of maternal deaths occur 43 to 365 days after delivery.
The expanded coverage is made possible by a provision in the covid-19 relief bill that will expire after five years unless Congress reapproves it or makes it permanent.
It was technically possible to extend coverage before the bill, but difficult. The covid bill cuts the time and paperwork needed to obtain approval from Washington under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Tennessee and South Carolina are joining Louisiana, Michigan, Virginia, New Jersey and Illinois in extending postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is working with another nine states and the District of Columbia to extend coverage.
American women are far more likely to die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth than women in 10 other economically advanced countries, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. Countries that fare better include Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. Lack of postpartum care in the U.S. was seen as a part of the problem.
Also on Friday, Becerra announced the launch of a new $3 million Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
The service is free, confidential and will operate 24 hours a day. The hotline will launch Sunday.
Pregnant women and new mothers can reach counselors for mental health support by calling or texting 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS.
Information for this article was contributed by Meg Kinnard of The Associated Press.