JACKSON, Miss. — An effort to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage has failed in Mississippi.
Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell said the state has a very high rate of infant and maternal mortality.
The program usually has two months of coverage for women after they give birth but recently physicians recommended extending it to a full year to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
Senators approved the coverage extension earlier this year but it was not included in the final version of the Medicaid bill that the House and Senate both passed Tuesday night.
The bill reauthorizes Medicaid for another three years and it now goes to Governor Tate Reeves.