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Two Women’s Health Policy Issues to Monitor in 2021
With President-elect
Joe Biden and a new Congress taking office next month, newly updated KFF
briefs examine two women’s health policy issues awaiting federal policymakers
in 2021.
President-elect Biden campaigned on reversing the Trump Administration’s regulations
for the Title X family planning program, which require complete financial and
physical separation from abortion services, including referrals, for family
planning providers funded by the program. The Current Status of the Title X Network and the Path Forward
brief provides a narrative with maps and charts illustrating the Title X
changes made by the Trump Administration and the resulting impact. Over 25%
of participating providers left the program, with six states and at least
half of providers in eight other states exiting the program. The brief also
reviews the pending litigation on the regulations, and what steps the Biden
Administration would have to take to reverse the Trump regulations.
Improving maternal health has captured the attention of federal and state
policymakers in recent years. The updated brief, Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage, discusses
one focus area of improving maternal health. While all states must provide
health coverage to pregnant women on Medicaid with incomes up to at least
138% (about $30,000 for a family of three) of the federal poverty level
through 60 days after they give birth, gaps remain in coverage beyond that
timeframe in many states. The brief explains existing state variation in
Medicaid postpartum coverage and explains state and federal options to extend
coverage beyond 60 days postpartum.
When Congress convenes next year and President-elect Biden and
Vice-President-elect Harris are sworn-in, they are likely to take up previous
legislative efforts to address maternal health care. This table summarizes pending bills on maternal health
introduced in the 116th Congress.
Filling the need for trusted information on
national health issues, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) is a nonprofit organization based
in San Francisco, California.
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