Alabama lawmakers passed a bill aimed at improving Medicaid access for pregnant women, as part of efforts to reduce the state’s high maternal and infant mortality rates. The bill, which passed unanimously, allows pregnant women to receive Medicaid coverage for outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while their application for government-funded insurance is under review.
The bill now heads to Republican Governor Kay Ivey’s desk for approval. Many Republican lawmakers have supported the measure, calling it a “pro-life” initiative, while Democratic lawmakers emphasized the need for it to address the state’s troubling health outcomes related to childbirth.
The measure mirrors similar efforts in other Southern states, such as Mississippi and Arkansas, that have passed laws to offer similar Medicaid coverage to pregnant women in a bid to tackle high maternal and infant mortality rates.
A study revealed that Alabama’s maternal mortality rate between 2018 and 2021 was 64.63 deaths per 100,000 births nearly double the national average of 34.09 per 100,000 births. The rate is even higher for Black women in Alabama, at 100.07 deaths per 100,000. Rural hospital closures have exacerbated the issue, leaving many women without adequate access to prenatal care. Nearly 20% of pregnant women in Alabama received no prenatal care until after five months of pregnancy last year, or didn’t receive the recommended number of visits, according to The March of Dimes.
Additionally, a significant number of women in Alabama fall into the coverage gap, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance, as reported by the advocacy group Alabama Arise.
Alabama is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, meaning many low-income women only become eligible for Medicaid during pregnancy. A pregnant woman with no dependents can qualify for Medicaid if she makes $21,996 or less, or up to $37,704 for a household of three. In 2023, Medicaid covered 45% of all births in Alabama, and over half of infant deaths occurred to mothers who were Medicaid recipients.
The new bill is expected to increase Medicaid spending in the state by about $1 million annually over the next three years, with federal funding covering about two-thirds of the cost.
In addition, a separate bill proposed in March seeks to expand medical care options for expectant mothers by allowing midwives to provide care in freestanding birth centers outside of hospitals. However, recent amendments to the bill have restricted midwives’ ability to perform many standard screenings for newborns, which are necessary to detect genetic disorders. The Alabama Midwives Alliance voiced concerns, stating that the amendments “take it in the wrong direction.”
For more political updates, visit, DC Brief.
