Wisconsin Postpartum Medicaid Expansion Plans Unlikely to Pass

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has indicated that the Wisconsin legislature is unlikely to vote on a bipartisan bill aimed at extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months. Wisconsin and Arkansas remain the only states that have not accepted federal funds for the extended coverage, which health experts argue is necessary to combat maternal mortality rates. Rep. Patrick Snyder has reintroduced the bill, but Vos stated that expanding welfare is not deemed a wise choice by his caucus. The state’s current coverage period is significantly shorter than what many health professionals recommend, with a significant percentage of pregnancy-related deaths occurring beyond the current 60-day window. Previous legislative efforts to extend the coverage have failed, and Vos has criticized the Evers administration for allegedly not applying for a previously granted 90-day extension, which he later acknowledged was not accurate. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also indicated it would not approve coverage waivers shorter than one year.