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Medicaid expansion for new moms wins approval in Missouri
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lower-income new mothers could gain a full year of Medicaid health-care coverage in Missouri under legislation given final approval Friday as part of a national push to improve maternal health.
The legislation, which now goes to Gov. Mike Parson, would add Missouri to a growing list of Republican-led states that have previously balked at Medicaid expansions but which are now joining Democratic states in providing 12 months of coverage — instead of the typical 60 days — after women give birth.
“If we want healthy babies, we have to have healthy mammas — and that is so important,” said Republican state Sen. Elaine Gannon, one of the sponsors of the Missouri legislation.
The option for longer Medicaid coverage was made possible under a pandemic relief law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. About two-thirds of states already have implemented 12 months of postpartum care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Alaska Legislature on Friday passed legislation extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to 12 months.
“Postpartum health issues occur far beyond 60 days, and I am pleased the Legislature passed this long overdue bill,” Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement.
Some Republican-led states didn’t act upon the Medicaid expansion until after the U.S. Supreme Court used a Mississippi case last June to overturn a constitutional right to abortion. When Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, signed legislation in March expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage, he described it as part of a “new pro-life agenda” to help mothers now that abortion access is restricted.
When signing a similar bill in March, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming also described it as a “signature piece of pro-life legislation.”
In Missouri, where abortion is banned except in certain medical emergencies, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden opened this year’s session by saying he wanted broaden the definition of “pro-life” policies — citing longer postpartum Medicaid coverage as one example.
When the Senate initially passed the legislation earlier this year, conservative Republicans attached a provision intended to exclude women who get elective abortions. But that was stripped from the final version after other lawmakers raised concerns that an anti-abortion provision could jeopardize needed approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.
Missouri has the nation’s seventh highest maternal mortality rate, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services. A department report released last year found that an average of 61 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of their pregnancy during 2017-2019, and about three-fourths of those deaths were preventable. The report also found that Black women were more than three times as likely to die of pregnancy-related causes as white women.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.
Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.
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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.
Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.
Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.
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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.
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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.
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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.
A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.
The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.
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