AUSTIN, Texas — When the pandemic struck in 2020, Patrice Lott was uninsured. She had a 13-year-old daughter and she would only go to clinics she could afford when she needed care. Then, she got pregnant and qualified for Medicaid.
“I was only pregnant with that particular child for a little around two months, and I ended up having a miscarriage,” said Lott, who lives in Round Rock. “So I… almost lost my Medicaid, but then I ended up pregnant again.”
At age 35, Lott’s second pregnancy was considered high-risk. And after having her baby, she discovered many health issues like gestational diabetes and allergy-induced asthma. She also sought therapy to process her miscarriage. And on top of everything, Lott got sick with the coronavirus.
“I was able to get all sorts of treatments to keep me alive, and they came into my home when I had COVID,” Lott said. “They were able to see me, so I was able to stay out of the hospital as well. So it was very helpful.”
Lott benefited from a pandemic-era policy that said new moms couldn’t be kicked off Medicaid after just two months, which is Texas’ coverage limit. But that extension ended on April 1, and now millions of Texans are at risk of losing their insurance.
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But with overwhelming bipartisan support, the House recently passed a bill by Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, that would extend Medicaid coverage for new moms to a year. Rep. Jacey Jetton, R-Richmond, signed on as a co-author.
“Being a pro-life Republican, I think that goes beyond the abortion issue. And that goes into making sure that we’re taking care of the most vulnerable around us, and that includes mothers, especially new mothers,” Rep. Jetton said. “In that first year, [there are] a lot of crucial needs, and we want to make sure that everybody has that access.”
The bill is a priority for Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who wrote in a tweet that he’s proud of lawmakers for advancing the legislation.
It now heads to the Senate. During the last legislative session, senators received a similar bill but reduced the coverage to six months. Federal officials blocked it from taking effect, so coverage remains at just two months.
Diana Forester with Texans Care for Children hopes that with a fresh approach and bipartisan support, the bill will make it to the governor’s desk.
“Both the Texas GOP and the Democratic platforms prioritize specifically extending this coverage for new moms for 12 months,” Forester said. “So I think we’re in a really good spot going into the Senate, and the momentum is really there for this legislation.”
As for Lott, she hopes other new moms get to benefit from longer postpartum insurance coverage like she did, because she knows how long it can take to physically and emotionally recover from childbirth.
“This allows mothers to be seen, and take care of their health and put it as a priority so that we can be there for our children for days, weeks and years to come,” Lott said.