Ohio Senate Proposes Extending Medicaid Postpartum Coverage to One Year
The Ohio Senate recently released its substitute version of House Bill 110, the biennial state budget. In the substitute bill, the Ohio Senate proposed extending Medicaid coverage for new moms to one year postpartum. Currently, Medicaid coverage for many new mothers ends just 60 days after a baby’s birth in Ohio. Extending the coverage period to one year is a critical step forward in responding to Ohio's devastating maternal and infant mortality crisis.
Last month, Ready, Set, Soar Ohio published a guest blog by Kelly O’Reilly, the President and CEO of the Ohio Association of Health Plans, explaining why extending the Medicaid postpartum coverage period to 12 months is an excellent strategy to help mothers and babies survive and thrive.
Senators Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Lead Testing for Children
Lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body and is especially harmful to children in their earliest years of life. Children living at or below the poverty line, who are on Medicaid, and who live in older housing are at greater risk of lead poisoning, underscoring the need to ensure that all children who are at-risk of lead poisoning receive proper testing.
Last week, Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown of Ohio introduced a new bill to help increase the number of young children who receive lead screening tests. The bipartisan bill–the Preventing Lead Poisoning Act of 2021–would ensure children enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are tested for lead poisoning at the appropriate ages.
Expanding access to lead testing for children can help diagnose lead poisoning as early as possible, leading to early access to treatment that reduces the likelihood of long-term negative effects on development, behavior, and health.
You're Invited: Maternal and Infant Support Stakeholder Meetings
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is inviting all interested parties to participate in stakeholder focus groups as part of ODM's Maternal and Infant Support Program. The Maternal and Infant Support Program focuses on providing services and strategies to reduce and eliminate racial disparities in maternal and infant outcomes and reduce infant mortality in Ohio. Upcoming focus group topics include:
Lactation Consulting (Sunday, June 6th at 9:30 AM)
Doula Services (Wednesday, June 23rd at 10:00 AM)
Nurse Home Visiting Services (Coming soon, TBD)
No pre-registration is required for these meetings. To attend a focus group, visit this website on the date and time of the meeting and click on the link next to the topic name to join.
Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care
On Monday, June 7th from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, the Governor's Children's Initiative is hosting a kick-off event – Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care – focused on cross-agency collaboration aimed to elevate maternal and infant health and better serve Ohio families.
During the event, you'll hear from Governor Mike DeWine and others about how state agencies that provide services to Ohio’s children are building infrastructures that can efficiently provide families the services and supports they need to thrive.
Welcome New Ready, Set, Soar Ohio Coalition Members!
Ready, Set, Soar Ohio welcomes our newest coalition members who joined us in May! We are excited to continue expanding our diverse statewide coalition. Together with your support, we are committed to ensuring that more pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families have access to the support they need to be ready, set, and soar to their full potential.
Welcome to our newest coalition members:
Pathways to Community Plans of Safe Care
Monday, June 7th at 10:00 AM
Does Ohio’s Proposed Budget Go Far Enough in Supporting Child Health?
Monday, June 7th at 2:00 PM
Lead Safe Certification Virtual Community Meeting
Monday, June 7th at 6:00 PM
Investing in America’s Children: How relief funding is investing in kids’ futures
Thursday, June 10th at 7:00 PM
Experiences with We Grow Together, a Professional Development System to Improve Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers
Thursday, June 17th at 2:00 PM
Early Head Start Summer Learning Series
Ongoing
Comments