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New federal incentives to expand Medicaid coverage do not appear to be enough to convince 12 holdout states to broaden eligibility, leaving lawmakers and advocates weighing their next steps. Under the 2010 health care law, states can expand eligibility for their Medicaid programs for individuals who do not earn enough to qualify for marketplace insurance subsidies, with the federal government taking on most of the costs. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 law enacted in March offers states an additional incentive to expand during the pandemic, with a temporary boost in the federal contribution. This builds on a different COVID-19 law, which temporarily increased Medicaid reimbursements by 6.2 percentage points for all states and territories that maintained coverage during the public health emergency. (Raman, 5/25)

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would provide inmates with access to Medicaid. A press release from Rep. Annie Kuster’s (D-N.H.) office stated that passing the Humane Correctional Health Care Act would repeal Medicaid Inmate Exclusion, which keeps incarcerated Medicaid enrollees from accessing benefits and shifts the “cost burden to states and counties.” Kuster, who sits on the House Subcommittee on Health, was joined by a bipartisan group of House members, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), in reintroducing the bill. (Choi, 5/25)

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday convened and within seconds ended a special session called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to expand Medicaid, dashing chances for the state to receive a one-time bonus of $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding. The Senate and Assembly gaveled in and adjourned the special session in mostly empty chambers with only a handful of lawmakers in attendance. The Assembly session lasted all of about 40 seconds, while the Senate was done in less than 10 seconds. There was no debate, let alone any votes taken, on the bill Evers called on the Legislature to pass. It marked the latest in a long line of defeats for Democrats on the issue. (Bauer, 5/25)

The acting head of Missouri’s Medicaid program predicted disaster for his agency Tuesday if state lawmakers don’t renew a special tax that pays for much of the $11 billion program. Kirk Mathews, a former member of the Missouri House who is now serving as the interim director of the Mo HealthNet program, said the lack of the tax could result in a massive meltdown in services to low-income enrollees. (Erickson, 5/25)

When a woman dies during pregnancy or within a year of childbirth in Illinois, that’s considered a maternal death. Karen Tabb Dina reviews cases like this in the state of Illinois. She’s a maternal health researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who serves on a state-level committee that’s trying to figure out what’s causing these mothers to die. The group’s most recent analysis found that about 75 women in Illinois die from pregnancy-related causes each year. Consistent with national trends, Black women are at greater risk than white women, and the vast majority of the deaths were preventable. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation where the maternal death rate is rising. Each year, 700 women die due to pregnancy, childbirth or subsequent complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Herman, 5/25)

Texas mothers on Medicaid could keep their health coverage for half a year after giving birth, instead of just two months, under a bill set to be heard by the Senate as early as Monday. Maternal health advocates said the bill — originally pitched as a one-year extension — could reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate and offer vital help to mothers with conditions like postpartum depression or health complications in the months after giving birth. (Najmabadi, 5/24)