For Immediate Release: Jan. 19, 2023

Contact: Emily O’Laughlin, 573-751-9762

Senator Tracy McCreery’s Bill to Extend Postpartum Health Care Coverage Heard in Committee 

JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-St. Louis County, presented Senate Bill 90 to the Health and Welfare Committee this week. The passage of this legislation would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to one full year after the end of pregnancy. The governor, Senate leadership and other bipartisan colleagues have expressed support for this idea.   

“Missouri must do better at preventing maternal mortality,” Sen. McCreery said. “Helping women and children should be a priority we all share.”

Currently, low-income pregnant and postpartum women receiving benefits through the MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women or Show-Me Healthy Babies programs are eligible for pregnancy-related coverage throughout pregnancy, but coverage expires 60 days after pregnancy ends.

“According to a report published in 2022 by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, each year, approximately 60 women die while pregnant or within one year of being pregnant, and the majority of these deaths are preventable,” Sen. McCreery said. “I believe extending health care coverage to one year postpartum would improve the survival rate of Missouri women.”

For more information about Sen. McCreery and her legislative actions, visit senate.mo.gov/McCreery.

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