MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers delivered his weekly radio address, highlighting that Wisconsin moms are now eligible for 12 months of postpartum Medicaid healthcare coverage thanks to a bipartisan bill signed into law earlier this year that went into effect July 1. Thanks to this new expanded coverage, more than 16,000 moms and babies on Medicaid will now have postpartum healthcare coverage for a full year after giving birth.
Since Day One, Gov. Evers has been an advocate for expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare and improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers has made extending postpartum coverage to one year a cornerstone of his “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies” initiative, which he has spent seven years working to pass, including the proposal in each of his four budgets as governor and directly imploring lawmakers in many of his major addresses over eight years as governor to do so.
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The governor renewed his call for lawmakers to extend postpartum coverage once again earlier this year in a letter to members of the Wisconsin State Legislature outlining his top legislative priorities for 2026. In March, the governor signed this priority into law for expecting moms and their babies at a press conference with advocates, moms, and healthcare providers.
Transcript of the governor's radio address
Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.
Folks, I’m a proud dad of three kids and a grandparent to nine grandkids, but any parent can tell you that postpartum recovery takes a heck of a lot longer than 60 days.
But for years, Wisconsin and Arkansas were the only two states in the nation that hadn’t expanded postpartum coverage for moms on Medicaid to a full year.
That’s why, seven years ago, when I introduced my first budget, I proposed my “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies” initiative, which would have expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage for new moms from 60 days to a full year, but for time and time again, partisan politics got in the way of getting it done. Well, not anymore.
Thanks to the fair maps I signed into law, earlier this year, Wisconsin officially and finally expanded postpartum coverage for new moms on Medicaid to 12 months, and as of July 1, we’re excited that expanded coverage is now in effect.
Wisconsin women and families can now get the expanded coverage they deserve, including an estimated over 16,000 moms this year alone.
This is a really big deal, folks, because according to DHS, every year, on average, 21 women die from pregnancy-related causes in Wisconsin, nearly half of which happened postpartum.
But here is the kicker, folks: 95 percent of those deaths were preventable.
Expanded postpartum coverage can and will save lives. Simple as that.
And it’s especially important as Republicans out in D.C. are making it harder and more expensive for folks, including moms and babies, to get the healthcare they need.
