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Health Advocates In Florida Renew Call For Postpartum Medicaid Extension

Photo: Sai De Silva
Photo: Sai De Silva

The Florida Legislature is in the final stages of negotiating a budget to send the governor for the upcoming fiscal year.
One sticking point: a House proposal to extend Medicaid for people who give birth. They’d get a full year of coverage, up from 60 days. Jamara Amani is a midwife based in South Florida. She says extending Medicaid coverage would bring down the high maternal mortality rate for Black Floridians. "To make big changes in the outcomes of child health, we have to make big decisions. We have to be bold. And so it is my hope and my challenge to the Florida Senate to take a stand for Black mommas." According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, nearly 100,000 mothers were lost after the 60 days in the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Thirty percent identified as Black.