Until last year, Georgia's Medicaid coverage for new moms with low incomes lasted 60 days.

That meant the Medicaid benefits of many women expired before they could be referred to other medical providers for help with serious health problems, said Dr. Keila Brown, an OB-GYN in Atlanta. "If they needed other postpartum issues followed up, it was rather difficult to get them in within that finite period of time," said Brown, who works at the Family Health Centers of Georgia, a group of community health centers.

Georgia lawmakers, recognizing the state's high rate of pregnancy-related deaths, have taken action. In 2021, Georgia extended the Medicaid coverage window to six months postpartum. And, now, the state plans to broaden that benefits period to a year.