Arkansas Panel on Maternal Health Advocates for Changes to Medicaid
A committee established by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to address maternal health has put forward recommendations aimed at improving Medicaid benefits for pregnant women. The committee’s report highlighted the importance of quicker coverage for pregnant women under Medicaid and suggested providing reimbursement to doulas and community health workers. However, the report did not endorse expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year, a move supported by most states but opposed by Sanders.
Sanders, a Republican, formed the committee earlier this year with the goal of enhancing health outcomes for pregnant women, new mothers, and babies. The focus of the proposed changes centered on Medicaid, which currently covers between 50% and 60% of all pregnancies in Arkansas annually.
“As the first mom to lead Arkansas, maternal health is personal to me. I’m not interested in headline-grabbing policies or duplicative government programs that don’t actually improve maternal health outcomes,” Sanders stated in a news release. “Instead, this Committee pursued a comprehensive, coordinated approach that will help healthier moms have healthier babies.”
One of the key recommendations from the committee was the implementation of “presumptive eligibility” for pregnant women eligible for Medicaid. This would enable them to receive temporary coverage while their Medicaid applications are being processed.
The committee’s suggestions also included evaluating and potentially increasing reimbursements to healthcare providers to enhance access, as well as improving the identification and referral process for pregnant and postpartum women at risk of losing coverage.
Despite the growing support for extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year in many Republican states, Arkansas remains the only state not pursuing this option. Supporters see this extension as crucial in aligning with their anti-abortion agenda.
Elisabeth Burak, a senior fellow at Georgetown Center for Children and Families, commended the Arkansas report’s recommendations but criticized the state’s decision not to pursue the postpartum extension, referring to it as a “flagrant omission.” Burak emphasized the importance of maintaining coverage for women during a challenging period in their lives.
Over 100 individuals from various organizations participated in developing the recommendations outlined in the committee’s report. Additional suggestions included creating a dashboard to monitor maternal health indicators, increasing the number of obstetrics and gynecology residencies in Arkansas, and launching a maternal health education and advertising campaign.