Mississippi House leaders kill postpartum Medicaid extension
Associated Press— Republican leaders of the Mississippi House killed a bill Wednesday that would have let mothers keep Medicaid coverage for a year after giving birth, up from the current two months. Supporters said extending coverage under the government health insurance program could help reduce Mississippi’s maternal mortality rate, which is significantly higher than the national rate. “We need to look for ways to keep people off, not put them on.” Gunn said he is aware Mississippi has a high maternal mortality rate, but he has not seen data showing that extending postpartum coverage would save money. The report said for those years, Mississippi had 33.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, which was 1.9 times higher than the U.S. ratio of 17.3 deaths per 100,000 live births.