Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi signed legislation on Thursday establishing a full year of Medicaid coverage for women after giving birth, calling it a “new pro-life agenda” to support moms now that access to abortion is restricted.
Mississippi Law Expands Medicaid
Mississippi typically permits Medicaid postpartum coverage for two months. Since the COVID-19 public health emergency began in 2020, the state has permitted a full year of coverage; nevertheless, many patients claim the state did little to inform them that postpartum coverage extended after the customary two months.
Mississippi officials increased their discussion about committing to a full year of postpartum benefits as the national public health emergency is scheduled to end in May.
Reeves, who is seeking reelection, came under fire from Democrats for his ongoing resistance to the extension.
The governor backed the idea on February 26 despite claiming he hadn’t received the financial information he needed to back the nearly $7 million annual cost to the state. A new law that Reeves signed goes into force on July 1st.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last year using a Mississippi case as justification.
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Health Experts Expect More Births
A few days later, Mississippi passed a law from 2007 stating that abortions are only permitted when a pregnant woman’s life is in danger or when the pregnancy was brought on by a rape that was reported to the police.
Because of abortion restrictions, health professionals in Mississippi have forecasted that the state may experience an increase in births of 5,000 each year.
Republican leaders who had opposed expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage in more than a dozen states are suddenly supporting it as part of their anti-abortion agenda.
For the first time this year, the bill was brought to the House floor, and it was approved despite Speaker Philip Gunn’s no vote. Its passage through the House was significantly aided by Reeves’ extension of his endorsement, a shift that he attributed to Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Gunn and Joey Hood, the Republican chair of the House Medicaid Committee, had stated that they would not put it to a vote until the state division of Medicaid approved the extension and gave them assurances that it was distinct from expansion.
Division of Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder sent them such a letter shortly after Reeves’ pledge to sign the bill.
The future elections are anticipated to be heavily influenced by Medicaid policy. Brandon Presley, Reeves’ Democratic opponent, has long been in favor of extension and has made the commitment to fully raise eligibility to 133% of the federal poverty line a focal point of his campaign.
