Texas lawmakers split over how long to extend Medicaid health coverage for new mothers
Maternal health advocates said the bill โ originally pitched as a one-year extension โ could reduce the stateโs maternal mortality rate and offer vital help to mothers grappling with conditions like postpartum depression or health complications in the months after giving birth.
Despite high rate of teen pregnancies, Texas lawmakers unlikely to expand Childrenโs Health Insurance Program to cover birth control
Her medical insurance at the time was provided by the Texas Childrenโs Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, which provides health care to adolescents whose families are low-income but make too much to qualify for Medicaid. CHIP provided coverage for her medicine, doctors appointments and other medical needs but unlike Medicaid, it typically does not cover the cost of birth control โ something that Johnson needed to regulate her menstrual cycle.