CV NEWS FEED // Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on May 8 signed a bill that extends Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum for mothers, but also makes the income threshold to qualify more restrictive.
“Being pro-life means supporting mothers and strong families,” Reynolds stated in a news release:
By extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for thousands of new moms, we will set new families on a path to prosperity and opportunity. Thank you to the legislature for passing this pro-family bill with bipartisan support.
The bill, Senate File 2251, will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
However, according to the Des Moines Register, the new legislation also makes the income eligibility threshold stricter, resulting in a fewer number of mothers and children who will qualify for the 12-month program.
“The changes are expected to cost Iowa an extra $1.1 million next year and $3.3 million the following year before dropping to $286,000 per year,” Des Moines Register reported. “Democrats supported extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to new mothers for a full year, but opposed Reynolds’ plan to pay for the extension by lowering the income threshold and cutting coverage off for other Iowans.”
Under the new legislation, families whose total income is 215% above the federal poverty line (FPL) or less can qualify for the coverage. Previously, families whose total income was 375% above the federal poverty line or less could qualify. According to HealthCare.gov, the 2024 federal poverty line for a family of four is $31,200.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that Senator Mark Costello (R-Imogene) acknowledged the concerns about the more restrictive threshold, but ultimately defended the change.
He pointed out that the average FPL coverage is up to 210% across states that participate in this program, so the Iowa legislation is still more expansive than most others.
“So I think there’s room for us to move that down, and to be in line with other states,” Costello said. “Whether 215% is the magic number [or] not, I mean, it seems to be what we think is the break-even number or the budget neutral. So I understand why we came to that.”
The post Iowa governor signs bill extending postpartum Medicaid coverage, restricting eligibility appeared first on CatholicVote org.