House Study Bill 500 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BILL BY CHAIRPERSON MEYER) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the Medicaid extended postpartum coverage 1 option, and including effective date provisions. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5554YC (3) 90 pf/ko

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 249A.3, subsection 1, paragraph h, Code 1 2024, is amended to read as follows: 2 h. Is a woman who, while pregnant, meets eligibility 3 requirements for assistance under the federal Social Security 4 Act, section 1902(l), and continues to meet the requirements 5 except for income. The woman is eligible to receive assistance 6 until sixty days twelve months after the date pregnancy ends. 7 Sec. 2. MEDICAID —— PREGNANT WOMEN —— CONTINUOUS POSTPARTUM 8 COVERAGE —— STATE PLAN AMENDMENT. The department of health and 9 human services shall submit a Medicaid state plan amendment to 10 the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services of the United 11 States department of health and human services (CMS) for 12 approval of the option to provide twelve months of continuous 13 postpartum coverage under the Medicaid program to pregnant 14 women enrolled in the Medicaid program in accordance with 15 sections 9812 and 9822 of the federal American Rescue Plan 16 Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2, as amended by section 5113 17 of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The 18 department shall notify the Code editor upon receipt of federal 19 approval of the Medicaid state plan amendment. 20 Sec. 3. IMPLEMENTATION. The section of this Act amending 21 section 249A.3, subsection 1, paragraph “h”, shall be 22 implemented upon receipt by the department of health and human 23 services of federal approval of the state plan amendment 24 submitted by the department as specified in this Act. 25 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. The following, being deemed of 26 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment: 27 The section of this Act directing the department of health 28 and human services to submit a state plan amendment to CMS as 29 specified in this Act. 30 EXPLANATION 31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 32 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 33 This bill provides for the extension of postpartum coverage 34 from 60 days to 12 months for pregnant women enrolled in the 35 -1- LSB 5554YC (3) 90 pf/ko 1/ 2

H.F. _____ Medicaid program. 1 Code section 249A.3(1)(h) provides Medicaid eligibility for 2 a woman who while pregnant meets federally required eligibility 3 requirements and continues to meet those requirements, except 4 for income, to receive assistance until 60 days after pregnancy 5 ends. Provisions of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 6 2021 (H.R. 1319) provide the option to states to submit a 7 state plan amendment, effective for a five-year period, to 8 provide postpartum Medicaid coverage for 12 months after the 9 end of a pregnancy. A provision under the federal Consolidated 10 Appropriations Act of 2023 removed the five-year limitation 11 period for the state plan amendment. The bill amends Code 12 section 249A.3(1)(h) to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days 13 to 12 months after pregnancy ends. 14 The bill requires the department of health and human 15 services (HHS) to submit a Medicaid state plan amendment to 16 the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services of the United 17 States department of health and human services for approval 18 in accordance with the provisions in federal law to provide 19 continuous eligibility to a pregnant women until 12 months 20 after pregnancy ends under the Medicaid program. 21 The section of the bill directing HHS to submit a state 22 plan amendment to the federal government for approval takes 23 effect upon enactment. The section of the bill amending 24 Code provisions relating to postpartum Medicaid eligibility 25 for pregnant women takes effect July 1, 2024, and shall be 26 implemented upon receipt of federal approval by HHS. 27 -2- LSB 5554YC (3) 90 pf/ko 2/ 2