Better Perinatal Care Means Closing Coverage Gaps, AHIP Panelists Say

With the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. notoriously higher than many other developed countries and care access issues a perennial concern, payers can play an important role in efforts to improve perinatal care. During a recent session at AHIP’s Medicare, Medicaid, Duals & Commercial Markets Forum in Washington, D.C., panelists discussed how a deeper understanding of coverage data can fuel those efforts.

Medicaid pays for more than four in 10 births nationally and more than half of births in some states, said Usha Ranji, associated director for women’s health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Federal law requires all states to provide Medicaid coverage for pregnancy-related services to women with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level and cover them up to 60 days postpartum, but many states have extended the income threshold “well over 200%” of FPL, according to Ranji.

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