November 20, 2023

With Missouri Approval, 40 States Now Offer Full Year of Medicaid Coverage after Pregnancy

On November 14, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced Missouri’s extension of comprehensive coverage after pregnancy through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for postpartum individuals for a full 12 months.

This announcement marks critical progress in implementing the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan, which supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint, a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving maternal health, particularly in underserved communities. Missouri is the 40^th state to be approved for the extended coverage, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) and made permanent by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023), which President Biden signed into law earlier this year.

As a result of this announcement, up to an additional 18,000 people in Missouri will be eligible for Medicaid for a full year after pregnancy. Medicaid covers 41% of all births in the nation and more than half of all children in the country. With the approval of Missouri’s plan, an estimated 641,000 Americans across 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands now have access to extended postpartum coverage.

If all states adopted this option, as many as 720,000 people across the United States would be guaranteed Medicaid and CHIP coverage for 12 months after pregnancy.

Learn More about the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan

Learn More about the Maternal Health Blueprint

September 15, 2023

Missouri’s Own Washington County’s Integrated Health Model Receives Top National Award

The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) announced that the Washington County Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Network in Potosi, Mo., was awarded the top prize of $150,000 in the nationwide program, “Building Bridges to Better Health: A Primary Health Care Challenge.” This is not only a win for the Washington County MIH Network and other networks in Missouri, but for all Missourians challenged with accessing traditional “brick and mortar” healthcare.

This challenge began in 2022, and activated and accelerated the development and testing of low-cost, scalable technical assistance solutions. Participating organizations’ solutions yielded resources that HRSA-supported health centers across the country can use or scale to improve health outcomes for their patients. A focus of the Challenge was to address key drivers of poor health and social determinants of health (SDOH) that contribute to poor health outcomes. Solutions resulting from the Challenge will support health centers to enhance access to primary care and to improve care coordination with other local providers and social service organizations to address SDOH.

Challenge winner, Washington County Mobile Integrated Healthcare Network, is the first mobile integrated care model in the country that is a primary partnership with an Emergency Medical Services agency (Washington County Ambulance District) and a federally qualified health center (Great Mines Health Center). The third partner is Community Asset Builders, a resource development and support company who strives to support systems of care. The “MIHN” model is now being replicated in several counties across Missouri and the mid-west region.

This challenge aligns with HRSA’s Advancing Health Center Excellence Framework, which aims to help advance health center performance and innovation, and specifically connects to the key domain of Population Health and Social Determinants of Health.

Key Impacts & Results of the Washington County Mobile Integrated Healthcare Network

• Achieved a 50% reduction in costs, demonstrated through captured Medicaid and Medicare savings data by the Washington County MIH Network.
• Improved clinical measures, including higher rates of preventive screenings and better managed blood pressure, compared to health center patients who did not participate in the MIH Network.
• In Washington County, MO, a food distribution service provided food to 1,794 households (4,729 individuals).
• In Washington County, Community Health Workers and Community Paramedics are now co-located at the health center and have daily huddles to improve care coordination and service delivery.
• 100% patient satisfaction in Washington County.

For more information about the Building Bridges to Better Health: A Primary Health Care Challenge, visit Challenge.gov.