Biden ARP Medicaid option allows states to extend postpartum coverage to 12 months

The Biden administration announces that as a result of the American Rescue Plan's Medicaid option, an estimated 462,000 Americans across 30 states and DC have access to 12 months of continuous postpartum Medicaid coverage, up from the prior 60-day limit. The policy directly addresses the US's severe maternal mortality crisis. The US has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country, with Black mothers dying at nearly three times the rate of white mothers. The ARP included a state option, later made permanent in 2024, to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year, targeting the period when most pregnancy-related deaths occur.