Texas Medicaid: Postpartum coverage extended to 12 months

Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s (HHSC) request to extend postpartum coverage from 2 months to a year for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients.

No action required

Effective March 12, 2024, women enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP who are pregnant or become pregnant will be automatically enrolled for 12 months of postpartum coverage. Coverage includes, but is not limited to:

• Regular prenatal and postpartum checkups
• Prescription drugs, prenatal vitamins and vaccines
• Hospital care and labor and delivery services
• X-rays and lab tests
• Vision and hearing care
• Access to medical specialists and mental health care
• Treatment of special health needs and preexisting conditions

Medicaid or CHIP coverage will be automatically extended to women while pregnant and still within their 12-month postpartum period if they are still residents of Texas. Coverage will be reinstated for the remainder of the 12-month postpartum period.

Women in the Healthy Texas Women program who are in their 12-month postpartum period will transition to receive full-coverage Medicaid or CHIP coverage for the duration of their 12-month postpartum.

The postpartum coverage extension doesn’t apply to the CHIP Perinatal (CHIP-P) program. CHIP-P recipients’ coverage will continue through the end of the month when their pregnancy ends, and then they will have 2 additional postpartum visits covered.

Additional resources 

For maternal mental health guidance, review our online training for postpartum depression called Maternal Mental Health.

For additional information about postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage, visit texashhs.org/postpartum for HHSC resources, including a webinar and frequently asked questions.

You can direct pregnant or postpartum women to apply for Medicaid or CHIP by calling 2-1-1 and selecting Option 2 or by visiting yourtexasbenefits.com.

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