This project is funded under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Research in Transforming Health and Health Care Systems (RTHS) program, which supports policy-relevant, community-engaged research on current or potential policies to transform health and health care systems. The goal of the study is to inform federal and state policymakers of the effects of Medicaid postpartum coverage extension resulting from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The study seeks to explore the implementation and equity impacts of the de facto temporary postpartum Medicaid coverage extension in three large states, focusing on the FFCRA’s potential differential impact on outcomes of birthing people living in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and immigrant communities. The study aims to understand how the FFCRA affected different groups of birthing people within and across states, utilizing Medicaid claims data to analyze disparities in health outcomes and continuous postpartum enrollment between enrollees who were eligible for extended coverage and those who were ineligible. The project also includes in-depth interviews with Medicaid-enrolled patients, Medicaid providers, and state stakeholders to understand variation in pre-COVID Medicaid coverage policy and implementation of the FFCRA between states, including mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators to birthing people receiving extended postpartum coverage. A Maternal Child Health Community Expert Panel of community voices will advise the research team in interpretation and refinement of findings to inform development of policy recommendations. Deliverables will include a project work plan and annual and final narrative and financial reports, as well as a range of products to reach policymakers and other audiences for study findings.

Principal Investigator(s)

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Researcher

Ellerie Weber

Assistant Professor - Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Ellerie Weber is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences and Policy at the Icah... Read Bio

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Researcher

Teresa Janevic, Ph.D.

Perinatal Epidemiologist - Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Teresa Janevic is a perinatal epidemiologist with a focus in social determinants of maternal and child health.... Read Bio