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August 2025
Volume 11 | Issue No. 99
More than 42% of all births in the U.S. are
covered through Medicaid, making it the
largest single-payer of maternity care.
It's no secret that Medicaid comes with
deficits. In Missouri, pregnant people
whose births are covered through
Medicaid have a seven times higher
pregnancy-associated mortality rate
than individuals with private insurance.
But even with this disparity, Medicaid,
especially in expansion states, is
providing more than a safety net; it's
saving lives.
According to analysis by Families USA,
maternal mortality rates are notably
lower in expansion states that have
expanded Medicaid coverage up
to 138% of the federal poverty level,
compared with nonexpansion states.
Between 2019 and 2023, maternal
mortality rates in nonexpansion states
were 35% higher than those in expansion
states. The analysis goes on to pinpoint
a 46% increase in maternal deaths from
2020 to 2021 in nonexpansion states,
compared with a 21% increase during
the same period in expansion states.
Access to Medicaid, even with its flaws
and shortcomings, clearly saves lives.
Access to health insurance will be
tentative for many people who need it
the most, as House Republicans passed
the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB)
on July 4.
Thanks to the bill, the Congressional
Budget Office projects roughly 10.9 million
people in the U.S. will find themselves
uninsured because of changes to both
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
Other projections for coverage losses
are higher. By 2034, the CBO projects 16
million people will be uninsured.
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"We must accept finite disappointment but
never lose infinite hope."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
