CMS Issues Action Plan for Improving Maternity Care
- July 29, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released July 26 a broad-based action plan for improving maternity care and reducing inequities for people during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
The plan outlines steps for improving access to comprehensive coverage, expanding data collection, improving quality, expanding access to a diverse maternity care workforce, and facilitating social needs screening.
The action plan is part of the administration’s efforts to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States. In December 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris issued a nationwide “Call to Action” to help improve health outcomes for parents and infants.
In addition to the action plan, CMS approved the states of Connecticut, Kansas, and Massachusetts to extend Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for 12 months postpartum.
CMS said the expansion will provide Medicaid or CHIP coverage for a full year after pregnancy to an additional 19,000 individuals across the three states.
States are only required to cover 60 days postpartum under their Medicaid programs, but the American Rescue Plan established a new temporary option to provide a full year of coverage starting April 2022. In December 2021, CMS issued guidance to encourage state Medicaid and CHIP programs to exercise the option. CMS has approved the extension in a number of states.
“In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, CMS is working to ensure access to the full range of reproductive health care services—including IUDs, emergency contraception, other forms of contraception, and abortion care within the agency’s legal authority (in cases where the individual’s life is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest),” the agency said.