Every state has a Medicaid program. Typically, the Medicaid program of an individual state will be segmented into separate parts that are each designed to cover a particular population. At least one of them will cover women who are pregnant. In Missouri, that part is called MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns.
Medicaid is a government run, or public, form of health insurance coverage. It is designed to help people who are low-income have access to health insurance coverage, and therefore, health care. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and the government of an individual state.
In Missouri, the Medicaid program is administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services. It falls under their MO HealthNet Division. It has several different divisions, each of which is designed to help a specific population. The portion that helps low-income women who are pregnant is called MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns.
To be eligible for MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns, a woman must be a United States citizen, or an eligible qualified non-citizen. She must also live in Missouri and intend to remain living within the state. She must have her own Social Security Number, (or must have applied to get one for herself).
In order to qualify, a woman must be pregnant, and must be able to provide pregnancy verification. This means that she must have a medical statement that confirms that she is pregnant and that notes the expected date of delivery.
There are also income limits that must be met. A pregnant woman who applies for this program must have a net family income for household size that does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level. There is a chart on the MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns website that gives more information about specific income limit. For the purpose of the chart, the pregnant woman is counted as two people (the mother and the child).
Once a woman becomes eligible for this part of Medicaid, she will continue to have coverage through the postpartum period. This is true even if her household income has changed between when she applied for Medicaid and when she gives birth in a way that pushes her above the required income limitations.
Children born to a woman who was covered by MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns or through other MO HealthNet health care coverage on the day the child was born will continue to be eligible for continued coverage. This coverage will continue through the first year of the child’s life (so long as the child remains in the mother’s home, and the mother’s home is located in Missouri.)
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