Missouri lawmakers are weighing legislation that seeks to provide expanded MO HealthNet coverage for low-income women. If passed, the coverage would include full Medicaid benefits for the length of the pregnancy as well as for one year following the end of the pregnancy. Sen. Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto, and Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, are sponsoring bills to expand coverage.
“Extending coverage to these women is so important because some of the conditions do not always present themselves in the first 60 days postpartum,” according to Sen. Gannon. “They may take several months to appear. SB 45 will help take care of Missouri’s most vulnerable and very vulnerable populations.”
In her testimony, Gannon spoke of the urgency to pass this legislation due to the public health emergency during the coronavirus pandemic reaching its sunset in April. With this expiration there’s potential for women receiving coverage being removed beginning on April 1st, who otherwise would be eligible if the coverage would be extended, according to the Republican Senator from De Soto.
“This hearing today sends a message that people are tired of differences on some issues being the excuse for inaction on every issue,” according to Sen. McCreery. “Helping women and children should be a priority we all share. I believe this is the year the legislature can put people before politics and get this done to help families across our beautiful state. Each year, around 60 women die within one year of being pregnant. Sixty women. The overwhelming majority of those deaths, nearly 75%, are preventable. Just let that sink in. Missouri ranks 42nd in maternal mortality.”
Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, asked the sponsors for further clarification on how the bill is written, including how to identify the end of pregnancy, what constitutes the pregnancy’s end, and how miscarriages and deliberate termination of the pregnancy by means of abortion factor into that.
Similar proposals failed to pass the Missouri Legislature last year.
The bills await a vote by a Senate committee.
Click here or here to see the bill proposals from McCreery and Gannon.