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Senate committee rejects targeted bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months
Summary
A Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee discussion on House Bill 1004—targeted 12‑month postpartum coverage using CHIP funds—drew extensive public testimony and a fiscal debate; the committee voted the bill down after members voiced fiscal and eligibility concerns.
State Sen. Brandi Davis introduced House Bill 1004, a narrowly tailored measure to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months for a subset of women who currently fall between 138% and 209% of the federal poverty level and are not eligible for Arkansas Works, proposing to use CHIP funding as the match.
The bill’s sponsor described the measure as a companion to the ongoing statewide 12‑month postpartum coverage effort, aimed at covering women who “fall through the cracks” after the current 60‑day postpartum Medicaid period.
The measure drew more than a dozen public commenters for and against during the committee’s two‑minute public‑comment slots. Supporters included perinatal mental‑health clinicians, representatives of maternal‑health nonprofits, recovery‑services providers and mothers who described losing coverage shortly after childbirth. Speakers cited clinical evidence that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can begin or persist through 12 months postpartum and said abrupt coverage loss can interrupt essential mental‑health and…
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