Action Item:

Expand Access to Essential Healthcare Coverage

 

Extend

mothers’ postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year as recommended by the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force.

Improve

maternal health and birth outcomes by expanding Medicaid coverage to include doula services. Advance access to preventative care and decrease state costs by auto-enrolling women aging out of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Healthy Texas Women (HTW).


Increase

the number of mothers, infants and toddlers served through group prenatal and well-child care innovations, such as CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting that have proven, lasting benefits for mothers and children.

Reduce

state costs and improve healthy outcomes by:

  • Updating the Medicaid benefit for group prenatal care to include provider types like Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, Rural Health Centers, and other facility-based providers.

  • Piloting enhanced reimbursement for group prenatal care and group well-child care.

  • Utilizing a CHIP Health Service Initiative (HSI) to leverage CHIP administrative funds for technology and infrastructure needed to promote telehealth availability of group health care models.