It may not change anything, but Mississippi House Republicans who are dead-set against any form of Medicaid expansion now have a bit of cover if they wish to reconsider.
The Mississippi Today website reported last week that the state’s 11-member Medical Care Advisory Committee recommended unanimously last October that the Legislature extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers from the current 60 days after giving birth to a full 12 months.
The members of this committee are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker, so the panel surely is attentive to the opinions of the three state leaders.
The committee chairman, Dr. David Reeves, a Gulf Coast physician, wrote a letter to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann this month about the unanimous vote. He said pediatric and neonatal specialists made a presentation about Medicaid to the committee at its October meeting.
Reeves’ letter added, “We feel this extension of coverage will be beneficial to both our mothers and babies and supports the pledge we have made to Mississippi’s women and children with the recent Supreme Court decision upholding Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.”
That sentence from Reeves’ letter sets aside all the politics of Medicaid expansion. It is a reminder of what many Mississippi leaders said they would do after Roe vs. Wade got overturned — provide better care for mothers and babies. One easy way to do that is to extend maternal Medicaid coverage for 12 months after birth.
True enough, some of these leaders encouraged churches and other non-profits to step up and help. But those groups can’t extend Medicaid coverage. That will require action by the Legislature and the governor.
Writing to Hosemann was preaching to the choir. Last year, members of both parties in the Senate, which the lieutenant governor leads, passed a bill to extend Medicaid for mothers. But the bill died in the House when Gunn blocked it from a vote.
Dr. Reeves hopefully sent copies of his letter to Gunn and Gov. Tate Reeves, although whether it will change any minds remains to be seen.
The humor of the situation is that Gunn has said he’s waiting on the state Division of Medicaid to take a position on extending coverage after birth. But a deputy administrator said in December the agency has no recommendation on the issue. So while a medical advisory committee was unanimous, the people who actually run Medicaid won’t make the call.
Here are some relevant figures, as listed in the Mississippi Today story, that explain why more infants and birth mothers need help:
• Mississippi’s pregnancy-related maternal mortality ratio is 33.2 deaths per 100,000 live births, nearly double the national average of 17.3 deaths.
• Mississippi has the nation’s highest infant mortality rate, the highest birth rate before reaching the full term of 38 weeks and the lowest birthweight.
• One of every seven babies born in Mississippi is delivered before reaching full term.
• Health experts have told lawmakers that extending postpartum Medicaid would cost the state about $7 million per year. That’s a significant expense, but the question is whether it would improve the health of women who just gave birth. The doctors who spoke to the Medical Care Advisory Committee three months ago say yes.
Extending Medicaid for mothers would not solve these statistical problems. It’s clear that too many pregnant women do not get proper prenatal care, and this needs to change. But it should also be clear that being pro-life does not end when a baby is born. More infants and their mothers need medical assistance, and Mississippi should recognize this.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
