# Reducing Postpartum Health Care Disparities through Increased Insurance Coverage after Childbirth

> **NIH AHRQ K01** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2024 · $117,607

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dr. Steenland’s long-term career goal is to become an independent policy researcher generating evidence to
improve maternal health in the US. African American women are more likely than white women to experience
severe maternal morbidity and mortality. As Medicaid covers a disproportionally large share of African
American and Hispanic women during pregnancy, the program plays a critical role in their maternal health.
However, many women covered by Medicaid during pregnancy lose coverage at 60 days postpartum. US
policy makers are considering policy options to reduce disparities in maternal mortality, including extending
Medicaid pregnancy coverage from 60 days to one year postpartum. However, the effect of increased
Medicaid coverage on postpartum health care use and health outcomes is not known. Dr. Steenland will
examine the role of Medicaid expansion on disparities in postpartum insurance coverage, health care access,
and health outcomes among recently pregnant women. She will use data from the American Community
Survey and the Arkansas All-Payers Claims Database to pursue the following research aims: (1) Evaluate the
effect of Medicaid expansion on racial/ethnic disparities in postpartum insurance coverage nationally; (2)
Examine the effect of Medicaid expansion on disparities in postpartum care and health outcomes between
African American and non-Hispanic white women in Arkansas, the state with the largest gains in postpartum
insurance coverage after Medicaid expansion. These studies will provide much needed evidence to US policy
makers about the effect of increased postpartum insurance coverage on health care utilization and outcomes.
The proposed research builds upon Dr. Steenland’s prior research on the effects of Medicaid reimbursement
for immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception on postpartum contraceptive use and birth
intervals. She will pursue the following K01 training aims to prepare her for the proposed research and for her
career goals: (1) Acquire training in obstetrics and maternal health; (2) Acquire training in domestic health
policy; (3) Acquire advanced training in econometric methods for health policy evaluation. To achieve these
training goals, Dr. Steenland has assembled a team of mentors at Brown University, led by Dr. Amal Trivedi,
Professor in the School of Public Health’s Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice; Dr. Ira Wilson,
Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice; Dr. David Savitz, Professor in
the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health; Dr. Kristen Matteson, Associate Professor of
Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Dr. Anna Aizer, Professor
and Chair of the Department of Economics. Dr. Steenland’s training will prepare her to achieve her long-term
career goal of becoming an independent investigator working to reduce disparities and improve maternal
health through health...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11237263
- **Project number:** 7K01HS027464-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria Ward Steenland
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $117,607
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11237263

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11237263, Reducing Postpartum Health Care Disparities through Increased Insurance Coverage after Childbirth (7K01HS027464-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11237263. Licensed CC0.

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