Latest news with #HealthyBabiesAct
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant Arkansans set to go into effect
Rep. Lee Johnson (left), R-Greenwood, an emergency medicine physician and the Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee's House chair, asks Department of Human Services officials a question about presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. At right is Rep. Cameron Cooper, R-Romance. (Screenshot/Arkansas Legislature) Arkansas lawmakers reviewed two rules Wednesday in response to a new law aimed at improving the state's maternal health care landscape for low-income pregnant women. The Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee spent nearly an hour discussing Arkansas' new policy of presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women, part of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act that will go into effect in August. Presumptive eligibility assumes 60 days of Medicaid eligibility and shortens the process of applying for coverage. The policy was among several recommendations to improve the state's maternal health care landscape that a task force convened by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued in September 2024. More than half of births in Arkansas are covered by Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance system for low-income Americans. A federal budget bill moving through Congress would make deep cuts to Medicaid spending, reducing the program by $625 billion over 10 years. U.S. House Republicans push through massive tax and spending bill slashing Medicaid Elizabeth Pitman, director of the Division of Medical Services for Arkansas Medicaid, said she anticipates the proposed cuts will affect the state's Medicaid expansion population but not pregnant women on Medicaid. Arkansas has among the nation's highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates. Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, said he found this frustrating and considered presumptive Medicaid eligibility 'a very good cornerstone' for improving these statistics. Ladyman and Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood, asked Pitman and other Department of Human Services officials how they plan to ensure that pregnant Arkansans statewide have the information and resources they need to opt into presumptive Medicaid eligibility if applicable. 'I want to support this rule, but I also want to be realistic in what we expect the outcome of this rule to be,' said Johnson, an emergency medicine physician and the joint committee's House chair. 'If we pass this eligibility category and nobody's applying for it any more often than they're currently applying for Medicaid, then it's not moving the needle.' Pitman said DHS can address Johnson's concerns about access to information in its focus groups with pregnant Arkansans. She also said the agency will work with community health workers, doulas and other local health care providers and community organizations to ensure the option of presumptive Medicaid eligibility is as widely known as possible. Committee outlines recommendations, actions taken to improve maternal health in Arkansas DHS learned during the three-year public health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic that spreading information about public health resources via social media, digital billboards and doctor's offices successfully reaches the agency's target audience, state Medicaid Director Janet Mann said. In January, Arkansas received a 10-year, $17 million federal grant aimed at improving maternal health outcomes for Medicaid recipients. Applying for the grant was among the maternal health task force's recommendations last year. The grant includes payments to healthcare providers as incentives for improved data-sharing on maternal health outcomes, Pitman said. In response to more questions from Johnson, Pitman said DHS does not have data on whether pregnant Arkansans' first interactions with prenatal health care occur in primary care providers' offices or emergency rooms. Arkansas remains the only state that has taken no action to adopt the federal option of extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months after birth, according to KFF. The maternal health task force did not recommend this policy, and a bill to create it failed in a Senate committee in April after Pitman and Mann expressed DHS' opposition to it. Arkansas Senate committee rejects 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage The other rule the joint committee reviewed Wednesday was the 'unbundling' of billing rates for labor and delivery, a policy also put forth by the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services authorized a 70% increase in Arkansas' maximum reimbursement rate for obstetrical care 'to include prenatal, delivery and postpartum care,' according to the rule. All of these services will be billed separately in all cases, Pitman said. CMS' approval of such a stark increase was 'very unusual,' but Arkansas' shortage of maternal health care providers in rural areas, closure of seven labor and delivery units since 2019 and high maternal and infant mortality rates led the agency to grant DHS' request without question, Pitman said. Higher reimbursement rates should 'improve Medicaid's data collection on utilization of prenatal and postpartum services,' the rule states. 'We're really hopeful that this will give us better data and insight into what is happening in the prenatal care space: when women are going [to the doctor], if it's the first, second or third trimester, who are they seeing and what are their diagnoses,' Pitman said. 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USA Today
23-05-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Do Americans need to have more kids? This red state shows how to help families.
Do Americans need to have more kids? This red state shows how to help families. | Opinion A pro-family agenda also is a pro-workforce agenda. Families can't grow unless parents can afford to raise kids. Show Caption Hide Caption Child-care costs top out at $56,000 in some cities Some parents are taking side jobs to keep up with the cost of child-care. Bloomberg Discussions about how to get Americans to have more babies have been in the news a lot recently. Birth rates are falling, and President Donald Trump's administration has made it clear they want to reverse the trend. The renewed focus on families is welcome. But as a mom of three, I know the problem isn't just about convincing people to have more kids – it's about making it possible to raise them. American women say they want 2.7 children on average, according to Gallup. Yet, they're having just 1.6 − a 30-year low, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The issue isn't desire − it's lack of support. Over the past few years, I've traveled across Arkansas, meeting moms. Our state has the worst maternal mortality rate in the country. One story sticks with me: Ashley Bearden Campbell, executive director of Arkansans for Improving Maternal Health, delivered her daughter by emergency C-section at just 28 weeks and 5 days, with the baby weighing only 2 pounds, 4 ounces. Ashley was lucky. Her daughter survived. But the challenges didn't end in the hospital. She was deep in postpartum depression and didn't realize it until a nurse named it. I often think how different her experience might have been if she'd had a doula, a community health worker or better prenatal care. Her story, like so many others, is a reminder that motherhood in America, especially in rural states, is often a high-risk, low-support experience. Arkansas shows how to help families We can do better. And in Arkansas, we're starting to. Over the past two years, our state has become a testing ground for pro-family policy rooted in shared values. Last month, Arkansas became one of the first red states to pass paid maternity leave for public school teachers. This isn't just a benefit for educators – it's a workforce strategy and a recognition that the early days of parenthood matter. Arkansas expanded Medicaid to include doulas and community health workers, ensuring mothers get meaningful support. Under the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, we're investing in maternal health, including a 70% increase in birth reimbursement rates and payment reforms that encourage more providers to serve pregnant moms. Thanks to forward-looking leadership, including from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas is showing what's possible when maternal health is made a priority. This momentum just got a boost with the launch of the Heartland Forward Maternal and Child Health Center for Policy and Practice, which aims to scale what works. The center builds on model states like New Jersey, where community-based care has improved outcomes, and brings them to heartland states. It's about turning pilot programs into permanent change in the places that need it most. 3 ways to help parents have more children What we're learning in Arkansas is that a pro-family agenda is also a pro-workforce agenda. Families can't grow unless parents can afford to raise kids. Here are three priorities every state and the federal government should focus on: ∎ Expand the Child Tax Credit: When Congress allowed the expanded Child Tax Credit to expire in 2021, nearly 4 million children fell back into poverty. In Arkansas, the tax credit lifted an estimated 191,000 children out of poverty and contributed to a 40% drop in the state's child poverty rate. It remains one of the most effective tools to support working families. ∎ Give paid family and medical leave to all parents: Paid family and medical leave should be standard for every parent, from truck drivers to teachers to retail workers. Two of Arkansas' largest employers - Walmart and Tyson - expanded leave policies. New laws also cover state employees and public school teachers. The federal government can build on this by creating block grants to help states and small businesses expand access. ∎Invest in childcare as infrastructure: In much of Arkansas, childcare costs more than education. In rural areas, it's often impossible to find. More than 64,000 children under 5 live in childcare deserts. Meanwhile, nearly 75% of Arkansas mothers with young kids are in the workforce. If we're serious about helping families grow, we must invest in the systems that support them. I keep thinking of Ashley − of the pain she endured, the loneliness she felt and the quiet agony of postpartum depression she didn't know how to name. Her experience is not unique, but it should be. Arkansas is beginning to show what's possible when we invest in mothers. We welcome others to join us in building a better foundation for families − one that makes choosing parenthood feel supported every step of the way. Olivia Walton is the founder and CEO of Ingeborg Investments.
Axios
09-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Bentonville nonprofit to take on maternal and child health
NWA nonprofit Heartland Forward is starting a program to improve maternal and child health in Arkansas and across 20 mid-America states, making up the country's heartland. Why it matters: Arkansas, along with several other states included in the nonprofit's focus, has some of the worst maternal health outcomes and infant mortality rates in the country. Poor maternal care cost Arkansas $1.8 billion and the U.S. $165 billion in 2020 alone, according to a previous Heartland Forward report. State of play: The Maternal and Child Health Center for Policy and Practice will serve as a nonpartisan effort to propose changes to improve mother and child health and well-being. The center's primary focuses will be research, quality care model development, and bringing together people involved in research, policy and philanthropy, Angie Cooper, president and chief operating officer at Heartland Forward, told Axios. The center will not have its own facility but will operate under Heartland Forward's health and wellness umbrella. Context: The center is using New Jersey's Nurture NJ initiative as its playbook, Cooper said. That initiative helped reduce racial disparities in maternal and child care, according to Heartland Forward, helping New Jersey go from No. 47 in maternal mortality to No. 28 over seven years. The state also saw lower infant mortality rates and higher breastfeeding rates. What they're saying: Poor maternal health outcomes in Arkansas are largely because of a lack of access to care, and rural patients often have to travel far to see their doctors, Cara Osborne, a nurse midwife who will be leading the initiative, told Axios. The center will look at how to meet more patients where they are and expand access to resources like community health care workers, doulas and midwives, all shown to improve outcomes and are less expensive than doctors. Osborne said that the plan is to have some proposed policy changes ready for the 2027 legislative session. The big picture: Maternal health in the U.S. has come under scrutiny after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision ending the right to abortion nationally, with health experts concerned about how near-total abortion bans, like Arkansas', could affect doctors' ability or willingness to treat their patients. Homicides stemming from intimate partner violence are a top reason women die during and soon after pregnancy. Restrictions around abortion access and divorce during pregnancy — both of which Arkansas has in effect — are associated with higher rates. Zoom in: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' newly enacted Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act made several policy changes that maternal health advocates praised, including Medicaid coverage for doula and community health care worker services and presumptive eligibility for Medicaid, meaning pregnant patients can receive prenatal care while they're still in the application process. Sanders, however, has said she's opposed to extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year. What's next: The health of mothers and children are intertwined and cannot be separated, Osborne said. While the center will first focus on pregnancy and postpartum health, it will eventually expand to child health and well-being up to 8 years old, focusing on issues like cognitive development, preventing infectious disease through vaccination, and early childhood safety.
Axios
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Gov. Sanders touts legislative wins, Dems cite power grabs
The 95th General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature wrapped on Wednesday after 94 working days at the state Capitol. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited progress, while some Democrats decried the session's power plays. The big picture: During the biannual full session, Arkansas lawmakers negotiated changes to the management of state government, budgets, infrastructure, education and public safety. State of play: Sanders signed more than 600 bills into law. Some of those bills include: Increasing the general revenue budget to $6.49 billion for fiscal 2026, up nearly 3% from 2025. Elimination of the state's grocery tax of 0.125%, which generated about $10 million annually. Creation of Arkansas ACCESS, a higher-education reform package to prepare high school and nontraditional students for the workforce while also setting guidelines for state-supported schools to lose funding if they engage in certain diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, designed to improve maternal health outcomes, especially for low-income women. Lawmakers also approved a cellphone ban in public schools, granted parents the right to sue social media companies if harm is done to a minor, and passed legislation to provide a free breakfast to every public school student. Arkansas also became the first state to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies, seen as a step to protect independent operators and mitigate drug-price hikes. Sanders signed a bill to allow for nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution for state inmates on death row. Reality check: In her speech marking the end of the session, Sanders notably did not mention the $750 million appropriations fight over the proposed Franklin County prison project, which failed five times to garner enough support to make it through the state Senate this session. What she's saying: "We went after big tech companies exploiting our kids, big drug middlemen manipulating drug prices, big government subsidizing junk food at the taxpayers' expense, lobbyists working for adversaries like China, woke faculty trying to indoctrinate our students, and the far left that wants to coddle dangerous criminal illegals and threaten our elections with petition fraud," Sanders said Wednesday. The other side:"This session will be remembered for out-of-control spending on misguided policies, power grabs away from the people of Arkansas, and divisive national politics continuing to seep into our state," Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock) said in a news conference Wednesday.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arkansas postpartum Medicaid extension bill fails in Senate committee
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A bill to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers failed in its Senate committee hearing on Wednesday. House Bill 1004 had a relatively easy time passing the House after its introduction there, sending it to the Senate. The Wednesday vote in the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, however, marked the end of its process. Bill to extend Medicaid postpartum care to 12 months passes Arkansas House, heads for Senate Advocates for the bill spoke about the importance of extending postnatal care for those who did not qualify for the ARHome program, which was the bill's intent. Opponents of the legislation were concerned about its expense. Others pointed out that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders-backed Health Moms, Health Babies Act, passed earlier in the session, did not include the 12-month extension. Opposition included testimony from a Department of Human Services representative. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs 'Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act' into law Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies did streamline entry into the Medicaid maternal care process. The governor said earlier that she did not feel the state needed to extend postpartum care past 60 days. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
