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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

WA Bill Could Help Thousands of New Mothers Keep Health Coverage

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Tuesday, January 19, 2021   

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Many women in Washington state are losing health care shortly after giving birth, a crucial time in a mother's life.

Senate Bill 5068 would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year.

The same measure was a victim of the pandemic in 2020. It passed with nearly unanimous support in the House and Senate but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Inslee because of budget concerns.

Sam Hatzenbeler, health policy associate for the Economic Opportunity Institute, said the bill would help address the maternal health crisis.

"Right now, about 10,000 women are falling through the cracks because of income or immigration restrictions," Hatzenbeler contended.

Washington state's Maternal Mortality Review Panel found 30% of all pregnancy-related maternal deaths occur 43 days to a year after birth. About 700 women in the U.S. die each year from pregnancy-related conditions.

The bill has a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health and Long Term Care on Wednesday.

Hatzenbeler noted conditions such as anxiety and depression are a concern for recent mothers, and rates are higher among women of color and low-income women.

She pointed out SB 5068 would especially help Native American women.

"American Indian and Alaska Native women are six to seven times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are white women," Hatzenbeler explained. "So this is a really, really crucial step that Washington legislators can take right now."

Hatzenbeler asserted the pandemic, which has hit people of color hard, is exacerbating these disparities.

She added extending health-care coverage would ensure Washington families are getting the best start possible.

"The best gift we can give to a child is to make sure that their mother is there to celebrate their first birthday and to raise them," Hatzenbeler concluded. "Too many women are being lost to preventable health conditions."

Disclosure: Economic Opportunity Institute contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Early Childhood Education, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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