Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Postpartum Coverage For Mothers Expanded In Illinois
The Hill: HHS Expands Medicaid Postpartum Coverage For Illinois Mothers Up To A Year After Giving Birth
President Biden’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has approved expanded Medicaid postpartum coverage for mothers in Illinois, making it the first state to provide continuous coverage for up to a year after a birth. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on Monday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved eligibility for new mothers to be covered beyond 60 days after giving birth. The approval went into effect on Monday at the start of Black Maternal Health Week and will stay in place until Dec. 31, 2025. (Coleman, 4/12)
US News & World Report: Illinois Gets OK For First-In-Nation Extension Of Medicaid For Postpartum Mothers
llinois received the green light on Monday for a first-in-the-nation waiver to extend its Medicaid program to low-income people up to one year after they give birth. "That's a big deal," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said on Monday during a press conference. "The postpartum period is an important part of maternity care, and it is a time when mothers may be dealing with a host of medical conditions." According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one-third of pregnancy-related deaths occur in the first year after giving birth. Maternal health advocates have long urged the extension of Medicaid as a way to combat strikingly high maternal death rates in the U.S. as Medicaid covers more than 40% of all births in the U.S. (Cirruzzo, 4/12)
Stat: Federal Agency Calls For Higher Medicaid Rebates If Trials Are Delayed
In a bid to lower prescription drug costs, a federal agency is recommending pharmaceutical companies pay higher Medicaid rebates if they have not completed required trials to confirm the effectiveness of medicines that received accelerated approval. Specifically, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, or MACPAC, on Friday voted 16-to-1 to boost two different types of rebates that drug makers would have to offer Medicaid if they fail to complete so-called confirmatory trials. Although Congress has to act on the recommendation, the agency hopes that drug makers will be moved to complete these trials rather than take a hit on revenue. (Silverman, 4/12)
