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Pregnant Women

States can expand Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for pregnant women, a policy that has contributed to the nationwide increase in women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester.1

States may, at their option, continue special Medicaid programs for pregnant women. Also, every woman--regardless of whether she is pregnant--with family incomes up to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level or FPL (that's about $14,440 for a single person or $29,000 for a family of four) will be eligible for the full Medicaid benefit package by 2014. Women in families earning between 133% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level (that's between $14,404 and $43,320 per year for a single person) will be eligible for subsidies to help pay health insurance premiums and out-of-pockets costs starting in 2014.  These subsidies can be used for coverage purchased through new state-based "Health Insurance Exchanges."

Does the state Medicaid or CHIP program cover pregnant women with incomes at or above 200 percent of the 2009 FPL?

States receive a "meets policy" when they set the Medicaid or CHIP qualifying income level for pregnant women at or above 200 percent of the FPL. States receive a "limited policy" when they set the eligibility between 134 percent and 200 percent.  States receive a "no policy" if they do not raise the income eligibility levels above 133 percent, which is the minimum level required by the federal government.

State Strength of Policy Change from 2007
Alabama No Policy Same
Alaska Limited Policy Same
Arizona Limited Policy Better
Arkansas Meets Policy Same
California 2 Meets Policy Same
Colorado Meets Policy Same
Connecticut Meets Policy Better
Delaware Meets Policy Same
District of Columbia Meets Policy Same
Florida Limited Policy Same
Georgia Meets Policy Same
Hawaii Limited Policy Same
Idaho No Policy Same
Illinois Meets Policy Same
Indiana Meets Policy Better
Iowa Meets Policy Same
Kansas Limited Policy Same
Kentucky Limited Policy Same
Louisiana 3 Meets Policy Same
Maine Meets Policy Same
Maryland Meets Policy Same
Massachusetts Meets Policy Same
Michigan Limited Policy Same
Minnesota Meets Policy Same
Mississippi Limited Policy Same
Missouri Limited Policy Same
Montana Limited Policy Better
Nebraska Limited Policy Same
Nevada Limited Policy Same
New Hampshire Limited Policy Same
New Jersey Meets Policy Same
New Mexico 4 Meets Policy Better
New York Meets Policy Same
North Carolina Limited Policy Same
North Dakota No Policy Same
Ohio Meets Policy Better
Oklahoma Limited Policy Same
Oregon Limited Policy Same
Pennsylvania Limited Policy Same
Rhode Island Meets Policy Same
South Carolina Limited Policy Same
South Dakota No Policy Same
Tennessee Meets Policy Better
Texas Limited Policy Same
Utah No Policy Same
Vermont Meets Policy Same
Virginia Meets Policy Better
Washington Limited Policy Same
West Virginia Limited Policy Same
Wisconsin Meets Policy Better
Wyoming No Policy Same

Policy Indicator Counts
Meets Policy: 
24
Limited Policy: 
21
Weak Policy: 
0
No/Harmful Policy: 
6
Better: 
9
Same: 
42
Worse: 
0

Data Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, "Income Eligibility Levels for Pregnant Women by Annual Income and as a Percent of Federal Poverty Level (FPL)," December 2009, available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?cat=4&ind=206, accessed September 7, 2010.

Footnotes

1 Reporting a rise in the number of women entering prenatal care in the first trimester from 75.8% in 1990 to 82.5% in 1997.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2010, 2nd ed.  (Washington: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000), 16-28, available at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople, accessed August 26, 2010.

2 In California, the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) program provides low-cost coverage to pregnant women with incomes between 201 and 300 % of the FPL--funding for AIM includes some CHIP funds.

3  In Louisiana, the income eligibility guideline is 185 percent of the federal poverty line, but the state disregards income between 185 and 200 percent of the federal poverty line.

4 In New Mexico, the income eligibility guideline is 185 percent of the federal poverty line, but the state disregards any income between 185 and 235 percent of the federal poverty line.

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