Postpartum care making a comeback in the Legislature.
UPDATE March 29, 6:30 p.m.:
The Senate took up Suspension Resolution 588 which would revive the language of SB 2033 that was killed in the House earlier in session.
The bill was passed by members. This will now head to the House where they will be required to have a two-thirds vote in order to pass the resolution.
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The Mississippi Senate has made the move to try and revive the postpartum care bill that was killed earlier in the session.
The original legislation, SB 2033, was passed in the Senate and through the House Medicaid committee but was left on the floor calendar to die on a deadline day weeks ago. This was a procedural move that did not require lawmakers in the House to vote on the bill prior to its failure.
“Access to healthcare during and after pregnancy is crucial, protecting the lives of mothers and their children,” said Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann on the introduction of the resolution.
RELATED: Medicaid postpartum coverage bill dies in the House
The Senate quickly announced from leadership that they would be taking another stab at reviving the legislation before session was over. That move came on Tuesday when the Senate introduced a suspension resolution, SCR 588, to further consider the original postpartum bill.
In order to revive the original bill the both the Senate and House will be required vote to suspend the rules and take the resolution up. This move requires a two thirds vote of each body. The Senate has mentioned that this is not the only avenue possible to bring the legislation back to life, but is the one currently on the table.
This would be the third attempt to extend coverage for postpartum women under Medicaid up to 12 months of care from the Senate. The first attempt was made in 2021 through the Medicaid Technical Amendments bill. That measure was also removed by the House in the conference process.
Sarah Ulmer
