If Republicans want to end abortion, they need to expand Medicaid to cover those babies

Four thousand people. Four thousand new parents and their babies.

That’s how many will benefit from Utah’s expansion of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which was announced on March 8 by the Biden administration. For one year postpartum, these people will have insurance coverage for check-ups, which can make a huge difference in the lives of new parents.

The expansion deal was introduced as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and was only supposed to last for five years but has since been made permanent.

“Forty-five states have now taken a critical step forward and extended continuous coverage for mothers for 12 months after giving birth,” said Xavier Becerra, the Department of Health and Human Services secretary, in a press statement. “With this step, 4,000 women in Utah will now have the security and peace of mind that continuous coverage provides, during one of the most important times in a new parent's life.”

It’s a reminder that Medicaid expansion – something Republicans have opposed since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed 14 years ago this week – is something we should all be championing. So why are some states still dragging their feet?

Medicaid expansion leads to better health outcomes. It's so obvious.

This should be top of mind for the Biden campaign, and for progressives across the country ahead of the election – especially since former President Donald Trump is threatening to repeal the ACA if he is reelected. The goal, at the end of the day, should be expanding Medicaid for all. That's why Utah's expansion news is a step in the right direction toward realizing more is needed.

The remaining five states that have not expanded postpartum coverage are at varying degrees of implementation. Iowa, Nevada and Wisconsin have pending legislation. Arkansas' and Idaho’s legislators have not considered this version of Medicaid expansion.

If all states implemented this expansion provision, the Biden administration estimates that 725,000 people would have coverage for their first year of pregnancy. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but think of it as 725,000 parents and their newborns. They can receive necessary postpartum care, which is a good thing. Currently, 691,000 people across 45 states are benefitting from this specific type of Medicaid and CHIP expansion.

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That's what Republicans should be championing since they’re responsible for the death of Roe v. Wade. If Republican states are going to do everything they can to force people to have children, lawmakers need to also go out of their way to help those parents and children. Abortion is going to be a deciding factor in the election and has been costing Republicans votes for years. Imagine if they had focused on taking care of families, instead of further limiting the health care of half the country.

Why don't all states want to help their residents?

Utah’s expansion of postpartum Medicaid and CHIP serves as a reminder that general Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act should be the norm. Currently, there are 10 states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming – that have yet to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

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Nearly all of those states are in the South, where people are more likely to be living in poverty than any other region in the United States. People are also more likely to experience poor health or chronic illness in the South. Of the 10 states with the highest infant mortality rates, five of them are in the South.

North Carolina, my home state, expanded Medicaid last fall after years of stalling, despite the fact that the state had both a budget surplus and an opportunity to receive federal funding for doing so. It is embarrassing that it took so long.

It's dismal that the fight to expand Medicaid has lasted this long, and there are still a handful of states dragging their feet to help the very people who need it.

Other state legislatures should be embarrassed that they are foregoing something that could benefit so many people all in the name of partisan politics. A record-breaking 21 million people signed up for health care thanks to the ACA this year. If the remaining 10 states expanded Medicaid, another 1.5 million people would benefit.

I'd prefer to live in a country where people are able to receive affordable, life-saving health care. This is something that the Biden administration should continue prioritizing; they should also keep reminding voters that Trump wants to do away with the ACA. This is something that Democrats in those 10 remaining states, or the two that have yet to expand postpartum Medicaid, should be campaigning on. Health care should be for everyone.

Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Medicaid expansion is a win for parents, kids. Why won't states do it?