Health · Healthcare & Policy · 6 hrs ago
12-month Medicaid coverage boosts postpartum care for high-risk women
A study found that 12-month Medicaid coverage increased postpartum outpatient care for women with pregnancy-related diabetes or high blood pressure.
Researchers examined Medicaid claims for births in New York and Texas from 2019 to 2023.
Before 2020, many women who qualified for Medicaid because of pregnancy lost coverage 60 days after childbirth.
Women with these conditions face higher risks of later health problems, so follow-up can help identify ongoing issues and connect them with preventive care.
The study found that outpatient visits rose in both states after extended coverage, with larger increases in Texas, where care rates had been lower.
Forty-nine states and Washington, D.C., adopted the 12-month coverage option, but the study’s findings do not describe what happens next.
Extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months after childbirth increased outpatient care among women with diabetes or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in New York and Texas.
The study found that increases were particularly pronounced in Texas, where baseline postpartum care rates were lower.
Researchers analyzed Medicaid claims for births between 2019 and 2023.
The findings were published in Health Affairs Scholar.
- Who
- Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and co-authors studied women with pregnancy complications and other conditions.
- What
- The study found that 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage increased outpatient care among women with diabetes or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
- When
- The researchers examined births between 2019 and 2023. The study was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- New York and Texas.
- Why
- Researchers examined whether extending coverage improved use of recommended postpartum care.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers examined Medicaid claims for births in New York and Texas.
Postpartum diabetes screening and outpatient visits increased.
Postpartum diabetes screening and outpatient visits declined.
Postpartum diabetes screening and outpatient visits increased again.
- Study period
- Births from 2019 to 2023
- States studied
- New York and Texas
- Coverage extension
- 12 months postpartum
- Previous coverage limit
- Many pregnancy-related Medicaid beneficiaries lost coverage 60 days after delivery
- Adoption
- 49 states and Washington, D.C., adopted the option to extend coverage to 12 months postpartum
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What people are saying
Given that New York and Texas have large Medicaid populations and represent very different policy environments, the consistency of our findings suggests that extending postpartum Medicaid coverage is an effective strategy to increase follow-up care among Medicaid beneficiaries
These policy changes provided a unique opportunity to examine whether expanding insurance coverage leads to greater use of recommended postpartum care