MADISON — A plan to allow low-income Wisconsin mothers to stay on Medicaid for longer after giving birth is once again being held up in the state Legislature despite overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Wisconsin and Arkansas are the only two states that have not accepted federal funds to extend postpartum Medicaid out to a year. Currently, that coverage only lasts for 60 days in Wisconsin.
“Two months is not enough,” Wendy Yeun said. “I think it would make a huge difference for people to be able to get the help that they need when they need it instead of waiting.”
Yeun suffered from postpartum depression after the births of both her children. When she gave birth to her son almost seven years ago, she qualified for Medicaid, which allowed her to see a therapist for two months after giving birth.
“Once the Medicaid ended, I pretty much stopped going because I couldn’t afford it,” she said.
When Yeun gave birth to her daughter last April, she didn’t qualify for Medicaid and couldn’t afford to pay for weekly therapy appointments. It took almost six months to find an option that worked for her.
“It’s a very special time for a mother to have with her newborn child, and it’s not something that my family or I will ever get back,” she said.
Most people in Wisconsin can only qualify for Medicaid if their household income is below the federal poverty line. Pregnant women can qualify if their household income is up to three times that amount.
Watch: Despite wide bipartisan support, measure to expand Medicaid for moms has stalled
A bill in the state Legislature would extend coverage for those mothers until a year after they give birth. In the last legislative session, postpartum Medicaid expansion passed the state Senate in a 32-1 vote with only one Republican in opposition. However, the bill was never scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly.
This time around, more than two-thirds of the lawmakers in the Assembly are cosponsoring the bill, but it still isn’t guaranteed a hearing. That’s because a small group of Republican leaders, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, oppose the measure.
“One legislator should not be able to singlehandedly be able to obstruct a bill that’s supported by a supermajority,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said as he called for postpartum Medicaid expansion in his biennial budget address last month.
“I am not the only person in the Legislature who is opposed to it,” Vos said last month at a luncheon hosted by WisPolitics. “I think many Republicans are opposed to the idea of expanding welfare, it’s just they are more than happy to let me stand in front and take the arrows.”
Vos has pointed to Wisconsin’s postpartum Medicaid income limits – the highest in the nation – as evidence that the state already does enough to support low-income mothers.
“I think it’s wrong,” said Republican Rep. Patrick Snyder, who is sponsoring the bill. “Send it out and have a vote. They don’t have to vote yes, but them holding it up tells me they know it’s going to pass and that their personal objections take first place. That’s sad.”
Snyder, who represents a Wausau-area district, said he campaigned on expanding coverage for mothers and vowed to continue fighting for the measure, whether it’s as a standalone bill or as a provision in the upcoming state budget.
“I’m fighting all the way to get this done,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m doing in the Legislature if this doesn’t get passed.”
