ATLANTA (AP) – The Georgia House of Representatives pm Tuesday passed a bill that seeks to extend health insurance coverage for poor mothers after their children are born to try to prevent maternal deaths.
Georgia has a high rate of maternal mortality after birth, particularly among African American, rural and older mothers, according to a legislative study of the issue.
State Rep. Mable Thomas, D-Atlanta, called the death rate among African American mothers an “epidemic” ahead of Tuesday’s vote of 162-1 in favor of the bill. It now goes to the state Senate for consideration.
Georgia’s state-federal Medicaid insurance plan provides only two months of coverage for poor mothers after their children are born. The new legislation would extend that coverage to six months.
The state would seek waivers from the federal government to offer the extended coverage. If approved, Georgia would also offer lactation care to help mothers and infants with breast feeding. The additional health insurance coverage and lactation assistance would cost roughly $20 million.