Rural health outcomes would improve if more states expanded Medicaid, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra told a Senate panel Tuesday.
During a hearing on the administration’s budget request, Sen. Cindy-Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) said she is particularly worried about maternal care deserts caused by hospital closures. Mississippi sees some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the country, she said, and often leads the country in infant mortality.
Becerra said telehealth access is crucial, and Congress should ensure the agency’s pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities can continue. Many temporary waivers expire at the end of the year.
But more than anything, Becerra said, women in Mississippi would be better served if the state expanded Medicaid.
“Many of the women who are having bad outcomes could have qualified for earlier care had they been eligible for Medicaid,” he said. “I think if we expand Medicaid in some of the states that …