Indiana receives federal approval for expanded postpartum coverage

Hoosier moms covered by Medicaid during their pregnancy will keep the insurance coverage up to a year after the birth of their child, a move that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved this week.

Previously, moms only had coverage 60 days postpartum. Though the agency had provided the coverage since April, it wasn’t enshrined in law until the summer special session.

“We are delighted that Hoosiers, regardless of their income, will now have access to quality healthcare for a full year following the birth of a child,” said Dan Rusyniak, M.D., FSSA secretary in a release. “This is significant as more than 40 percent of individuals who give birth each year receive Medicaid. And, since more than half of postpartum complications occur after six weeks, extending coverage to a full year will help meet Gov. Holcomb’s goal of reducing Indiana’s maternal mortality rate.”

The postpartum coverage period is available to any individual who meets one of the following criteria:

• Becomes pregnant while already enrolled in traditional Medicaid, HIP or Hoosier Healthwise
• Applies and is eligible for Medicaid while pregnant
• Applies for Medicaid after the child is born and was both pregnant and eligible in the month of application or one of the three months prior to the application month.

The federal approve extends the yearlong coverage for a five-year period until March 2027.