Expanding Medicaid in the Postpartum Period

Authors

Madison P. Harrell, University of Richmond School of Law

Abstract

This Comment will discuss how the current Medicaid law is insufficient to address the issue of disappointing maternal health outcomes in the United States and how the federal government should begin to remedy the problem. First, I will shed light on the maternal health crisis in the United States, before discussing the history of pregnancy and postpartum Medicaid coverage. Then, I will outline the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the subsequent court battle over its constitutionality, and the effects of that decision on the current landscape of pregnancy and postpartum Medicaid coverage. Finally, I will detail my proposal for Congress to mandate one year of postpartum coverage and discuss the relevant reasons supporting the necessity of such coverage before demonstrating the legality of the proposal under current law.

Recommended Citation

Madison P. Harrell, Expanding Medicaid in the Postpartum Period, 56 U. Rich. L. Rev. 1047 (2022).
Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/lawreview/vol56/iss3/8