"We don't want having a baby to be a death sentence": Ranson's bill providing extended maternal care, passes House floor

Mar. 15—The risk of a woman dying as a result of pregnancy or childbirth is about one in 4,200 in Oklahoma compared with about one in 25,000 in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Such a discrepancy poses a challenge to the state which ranks No. 2 in the nation for the number of people without health insurance, Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, said. The Oklahoma State Department of Health views maternal mortality as an indicator of the overall effectiveness of general and obstetrical healthcare systems.

Ranson authored House Bill 2014, which would instruct the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority to seek a federal Medicaid Waiver to make sure women maintain their insurance for the first 12 months after giving birth.

"The intent of this bill is simple. We don't want having a baby to be a death sentence," Ranson said. "We want the process of bringing a life into this world to be safe, supportive and comfortable."

Oklahoma was one of several states that had "trigger" laws outlawing abortion once Roe v. Wade was overturned. Critics argued that Oklahoma's mortality rates related to pregnancy proved that public health of babies and mothers was not a priority.

The Oklahoma House legislation is a recommendation from Gov. Kevin Stitt's Helping Every Life and Parent (H.E.L.P.) Task Force. The task force was created to propose legislation that will support crisis pregnancy centers, eliminate barriers to adoption and support mothers, among other goals.

The bill unanimously passed the House on Tuesday and will head to the Senate floor.

"Passing this bill is a great way legislators can continue to support mothers for a year after they give birth," Ranson said.

Ranson said the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is in the process of seeking the Medicaid Waiver, and the bill would put that process into law.

The bill would also give automatic Medicaid eligibility to a woman for the duration of her pregnancy and the postpartum period — or a child younger than 1 — that has a family with an income less than 205 percent of the federal poverty level.

If passed into law, House Bill 2014 would take effect on Nov. 1.