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On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed HB89, a bill focused on providing presumptive Medicaid coverage for prenatal care. The bill, introduced by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, was approved by the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee earlier this week and will now move to the Alabama Senate.
HB89 would provide presumptive Medicaid eligibility to pregnant Alabamians before their Medicaid applications are reviewed and formally approved. Specifically, the bill would provide prenatal care to low-income pregnant people for up to 60 days during pregnancy.
If the Senate passes HB89 and Gov. Ivey subsequently signs it into law, the Alabama Medicaid Agency’s obligations would increase by an “agency-estimated $1 million annually until fiscal year 2028, consisting of $726,300 in federal funds and $273,700 in state funds” beginning in October. The agency would also have to adopt rules and develop forms for qualified providers to determine presumptive eligibility if the bill becomes law.
However, Lands’ fellow representatives, both Republican and Democrat, agreed that decreasing maternal and infant mortality in the state would be worth the increase in cost, even with the current strain on state Medicaid.
“As you know, we have the worst maternal mortality rates in the country and third to last in infant mortality, so I really want to champion maternal healthcare and look for ways that we can bring those numbers up and really show how much we care about our mamas and babies,” Lands said at Wednesday’s committee hearing.
