Medicaid Works For Women & Children

Submitted by Protect Our Care — April marks the 7th annual Medicaid Awareness Month. Medicaid is an essential source of coverage for women and children. More than 18 million, or nearly 1 in 5, adult women are enrolled in Medicaid. Approximately 40 million, or half of all children in the U.S., are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Medicaid coverage brings affordable care and financial security to women and families, and it helps narrow racial and rural disparities in health care. As the nation faces an unacceptably high and worsening rate of pregnancy-related death, Medicaid coverage is more important than ever to help pregnant women and new moms access the health care they need.

Medicaid is a popular, lifesaving program, but Republicans want to cut it and rip coverage away from millions of hardworking families. Over 66 percent of Americans, including 55 percent of Republicans, have a favorable opinion of Medicaid. Voters agree that it is important to prevent harmful cuts to Medicaid that would reduce health care access. Yet the latest GOP scheme slashes trillions from Medicaid and would throw millions of people off their coverage through block granting and burdensome work reporting requirements. And as Medicaid transitions back to its pre-pandemic eligibility and enrollment rules, too many people, especially children are losing coverage because of the carelessness and callousness of certain Republican governors who are terminating coverage for people who may still be eligible. Republicans also won’t quit their mission to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid expansion, putting health care for millions of women and families in jeopardy.  

By The Numbers

• Medicaid Covers Nearly 18.5 Million Women Nationwide. 18.44 million adult women ages 19-64 rely on Medicaid for coverage.

• Most Women On Medicaid Are Working Or Have Caregiving Responsibilities. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the vast majority of women enrolled in Medicaid work, including mothers on Medicaid. In 2020, 93 percent of women enrolled in Medicaid were either working, going to school, at home caring for young children or relatives, or experiencing an illness or disability that does not permit them to work. 

• Medicaid Is A Major Source Of Coverage For Women Of Color. Due to systemic inequality that results in fewer women of color having access to employer-provided coverage, women of color are disproportionately likely to enroll in Medicaid. 31 percent of Black women and 27 percent of Hispanic or Latina women rely on Medicaid, compared with just over 16 percent of white individuals. Women of color experience higher rates of poverty than white women and remain less likely to have access to quality care.

• Medicaid Covers Nearly Half Of Women With Disabilities. Medicaid covers more than 44 percent of nonelderly women with mental and physical disabilities. As of 2019, Medicaid was the source of health coverage for one in four American women with mental illness.

• Over 50 Percent Of Children Are Enrolled In Medicaid And CHIP. Approximately 40 million children in the United States are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. 

• 1.6 Million People Would Gain Coverage If Remaining States Expanded Medicaid. Estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that roughly 1.6 million people, including children, would enroll in Medicaid and CHIP if the remaining 10 states implemented expansion. These states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. 

• The Children’s Uninsured Rate In Medicaid Holdout States Is Double The Rate In Expansion States. In 2021, the child uninsured rate was 7.1 percent in holdout states, compared to 4 percent in states that adopted expansion. If holdout states expanded Medicaid, the number of uninsured children would drop by 7.3 percent. 

• Almost Half Of Births Are Covered By Medicaid. Medicaid covers over 40 percent of births in the United States. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, states were given the option to extend coverage to new mothers for one year postpartum, which improves maternal health outcomes. Congress subsequently made this option permanent as part of end-of-year legislation signed into law at the end of 2022. 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States Virgin Islands have extended postpartum Medicaid coverage for a full year, and Nevada and Idaho are planning to do so. Arkansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin have not extended postpartum coverage. 

Medicaid Coverage Benefits Mothers And Women Of All Ages

• Medicaid Is The Largest Payer Of Reproductive Health Care Coverage. Medicaid covers nearly 17 million women of reproductive age, giving them access to reproductive health care services such as birth control, cancer screenings, and maternity care without cost-sharing. Medicaid’s reproductive health coverage is especially important in states that have further restricted access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

• Expanding Access To Care At Every Stage. There is an urgent need for quality, affordable health coverage prior to, during, and after giving birth. The United States continues to experience the highest rates of maternal mortality among wealthy nations, deaths that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show are largely preventable. While 48 percent of maternal deaths occur during pregnancy and delivery, more than half, 52 percent, occur in the year following the birth of a child. Recent CDC data show that 4 in 5 of maternal deaths are preventable. 12 percent of maternal deaths are deemed “late,” occurring between six weeks and one year following delivery, demonstrating the immense need for continuous health access and coverage for a minimum of one year following the birth of a child. The Biden-Harris Administration has established a pathway to coverage, providing states the opportunity to extend postpartum coverage under Medicaid from 60 days to 12 months following birth. Currently, 47 states have elected to extend Medicaid coverage for a full year postpartum.

• More Than Four In 10 Births Are Covered By Medicaid. More than 4 in 10 births were financed by Medicaid in 2022. Rates varied across the nation, with 61 percent of births financed by Medicaid in Louisiana, and 22 percent in Utah. Medicaid covers