Reeves would sign postpartum Medicaid expansion coverage bill
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has come out and said if a bill providing one year of Medicaid coverage for postpartum women reaches his desk, he would sign that bill.
The support is seen by many as a reversal for Reeves, a support for one year coverage that was part of his pro-life agenda statement released on Sunday through social media.
The Mississippi Senate earlier in February passed a bill that would let mothers keep Medicaid coverage for a year after giving birth, up from the current two months.
Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R-Southaven) is chairman of the Senate Medicaid Committee and was the principal author of Senate Bill 2212. It passed the Senate by a 41-11 vote, with Sen. Michael McLendon (R-Hernando) among the senators who voted against the expansion.
The only two states left that do not provide a year of postpartum coverage for mothers under Medicaid now are Mississippi and Wyoming. Lawmakers in Wyoming are debating an expansion now.
The Senate-passed measure is now in the hands of state representatives and was sent to the Medicaid committee in the House. Monday evening, according to a story on Mississippi Today, House Speaker Philip Gunn was quoted as saying he would not block the bill from passage in his chamber. The measure is now expected to pass.
