A bill that would expedite Medicaid coverage and prenatal health care for low-income pregnant women in Alabama has advanced as lawmakers across the South try to address rising maternal and infant mortality rates.
Last year, nearly 1 in 5 pregnant Alabama women received prenatal care after five months of pregnancy, or otherwise received less than 50% of the appropriate number of the recommended visits throughout her pregnancy, according to The March of Dimes.
In Alabama, 1 in 6 women of childbearing age fall within the coverage gap, making too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance, according to Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for low-income families.
Alabama and Mississippi are among 10 states nationwide that have not expanded Medicaid, which means many low-income women are only eligible for Medicaid once they become pregnant.
Medicaid was used to pay for 45% of all births in Alabama in 2023, according to the most recent report published by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
