Maternity Care and Nearly Half of All Births
Medicaid is the single largest payer of maternity care in the United States, covering approximately 42 percent of all births nationwide. In some states, that figure exceeds 60 percent. For millions of women, Medicaid is the program that makes it possible to receive prenatal care, deliver safely in a hospital, and access postpartum support during the critical weeks and months after birth.
The program's role in maternal health has only grown more important as the United States confronts a maternal mortality crisis that is among the worst in the developed world. Medicaid-covered prenatal visits help identify high-risk pregnancies early, manage gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, and connect women with the specialists they need to have healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries.
Recent expansions of postpartum Medicaid coverage — extending eligibility from 60 days to 12 months after birth in most states — have been a critical step in addressing the maternal health crisis. More than half of pregnancy-related deaths occur in the postpartum period, and extended coverage ensures that new mothers can access the follow-up care, mental health services, and chronic disease management they need during this vulnerable time.
Prenatal and Postpartum Care
Adequate prenatal care is one of the most effective health interventions available, reducing the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality. Medicaid ensures that women who cannot afford private insurance still have access to the full range of prenatal services: regular checkups, ultrasounds, lab work, nutrition counseling, and screening for complications that could threaten the health of mother or baby.
Postpartum care is equally critical but has historically received far less attention. New mothers face elevated risks of depression, anxiety, cardiovascular complications, and infections in the months following delivery. Medicaid's extended postpartum coverage means that women do not lose their health insurance at exactly the moment when they are most vulnerable, a gap that contributed to preventable maternal deaths for decades.
For women managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or mental health disorders, continuity of care through pregnancy and the postpartum period is essential. Medicaid provides that continuity, covering not just the pregnancy itself but the ongoing management of conditions that affect both maternal and infant health.
Children's Coverage Under Threat
Medicaid and CHIP together cover more than 40 million children in the United States, providing the comprehensive pediatric coverage that children need to grow up healthy. This includes well-child visits, vaccinations, dental care, vision screenings, hearing tests, developmental assessments, and treatment for childhood illnesses and injuries. For children with special health care needs, Medicaid covers therapies, equipment, and specialist visits that most private plans do not fully cover.
The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit is one of Medicaid's most important features for children. EPSDT requires that states provide all medically necessary services to children enrolled in Medicaid, ensuring a level of coverage that goes beyond what most private insurance plans offer. This benefit has been instrumental in identifying developmental delays, learning disabilities, and chronic conditions early, when intervention is most effective.
Proposed cuts to Medicaid would put all of this at risk. 7.5 million people could lose Medicaid coverage, and children — who make up the largest share of Medicaid enrollees — would be disproportionately affected. Losing coverage during childhood has lasting consequences: children who go without health insurance are less likely to receive preventive care, more likely to miss school due to untreated illness, and more likely to carry health problems into adulthood.
The Impact of Cuts on Women and Families
Cutting Medicaid funding would have cascading effects on women and families that extend far beyond the doctor's office. When a pregnant woman cannot access prenatal care, the result is more complicated pregnancies, more preterm births, more time in neonatal intensive care units, and higher costs for the entire health system. When a child cannot see a dentist, an untreated cavity becomes an emergency room visit that costs ten times as much.
The economic impact on families would be severe. Medical debt is already the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States, and stripping Medicaid coverage from working families would expose millions of households to catastrophic health care costs. A single hospitalization or a child's broken arm could push a family into financial crisis.
Women of color would be hit hardest by these cuts. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to rely on Medicaid for maternity care and already face stark disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. Cutting the program that provides their health coverage would widen existing inequities and reverse the progress that has been made in closing racial gaps in maternal and child health. Protecting Medicaid is essential to building a health system that works for all women and all children.