(INDIANAPOLIS) – A $60 million expansion of prenatal services in Indiana is on track for a Friday vote in the House.
It’s the second time the House has advanced a bill expanding Medicaid coverage for prenatal screenings, delivery, and the baby’s first year of life. It also includes money to help with birth control, and seeks federal approval for Medicaid reimbursement for contraception.
The Ways and Means Committee unanimously endorsed the bill, setting up a vote in the full House on Friday.
Indiana Minority Health Commission president Carl Ellison praises the focus on reducing deaths of babies and mothers, but says the money should be targeted where those problems are most serious. African-Americans account for one in seven births in Indiana, but one in four deaths before a baby’s first birthday.
The Senate version of the bill steered money to the State Budget Agency to decide the best way to distribute it.
The Ways and Means Committee also inserted Governor Holcomb’s $225 tax rebate into the bill. The House has already passed its own bill including both prenatal services and the rebate — the Senate will hold a hearing on that bill on Wednesday.
