New Briefs Examine Recent Federal Action on Medicaid Postpartum Coverage and Title X Family Planning

Two new KFF women’s health briefs dive deeper into key women’s health issues on the federal policy agenda: Postpartum Medicaid coverage in the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and the Title X Family Planning regulations. The Biden Administration campaigned on reversing the Trump Administration’s Title X Family Planning program regulations and improving maternal health care.

Medicaid Postpartum Extension: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides states with a new option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for women who have a Medicaid funded delivery from 60 days to 12 months. The Postpartum Coverage Extension in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides a deeper look at what the Act does for postpartum eligibility expansion and when it can take effect. It also covers questions going forward like what states might take this option? What does this mean for non-expansion states?

Title X: President Biden has directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the Trump Administration Title X Family Planning program regulations that ban abortion referrals and co-located abortion services and is likely to issue new regulations. Over 150 members of Congress have asked that the Trump-era regulations be rescinded no later than March 29. The Potential Scenarios for Issuing New Title X Regulations issue brief examines two possible scenarios and timelines for issuing new Title X regulations and distributing program funding to those grantees and sites that may seek to return to the Title X network if the abortion referral restrictions are lifted

For additional information on the current status of the Title X program and postpartum Medicaid coverage and other developments in women’s health policy, visit www.kff.org/womens-health-policy.