Austin, TX – Today, Governor Abbott signed into law House Bill 12 authored by State Representative Toni Rose (110-D). The legislation extends postpartum Medicaid benefits to new mothers from two months to 12 months of coverage.
Under Representative Rose’s legislation, this extended coverage of comprehensive care will begin on the last day of a woman’s pregnancy and will end on the last day of the month in which the 12- month period ends. Expanded coverage is needed to combat the rising Texas death rates of new moms, which is especially high amongst Black women. The majority of the deaths were due to preventable medical issues including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and substance use disorder.
“I’m elated that women will be able to maintain comprehensive care postpartum,” said Representative Rose. “I am confident this measure will help eliminate our state’s upward trend of postpartum deaths by providing health care earlier to women with medical and mental health issues.”
In 2013, most maternal deaths were previously enrolled women in the Medicaid program who could not receive critical postpartum services after the two-month extension. Moreover, 31% of pregnancy-related deaths occurred 43 days to one year after the end of a pregnancy, with mental disorder as the leading cause of death. While all women are impacted, severe maternal morbidity and delivery hospitalizations involving hypertensive disorder disproportionally affects Black mothers in Texas.
Although Black women made up only 11% of live births across the state, 31% of all maternal mortality deaths were among Black women. The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee conducted medical studies that show 12 months of comprehensive health coverage is necessary to curtail maternal mortality deaths, 90% of which are preventable.
Elected in 2012, Representative Rose represents District 110, which includes the diverse communities of Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove and Balch Springs. Representative Rose also serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II; Vice Chair of the House Committee on Calendars; Vice Chair of the House Committee on Human Services; senior member of both the House Committee on Appropriations and House Committee on Redistricting; and is a newly appointed member of the House Select Committee on Health Care Reform.
