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Does Medicaid cover nearly half of all births in the US?

By Erin Gretzinger
YES

About 41% of all births in the U.S. are financed by Medicaid, according to a 2022 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

In Wisconsin, 35% of all births in 2021 were covered by Medicaid, totaling 21,527 births. Louisiana had the most births financed by Medicaid at 61%. Utah the least at 21%.

Each state has their own eligibility criteria for Medicaid, considering factors such as income, family size, disability status and age. While most states offer the full Medicaid package to all beneficiaries, the specific benefits available to pregnant individuals vary from state to state. For example, Wisconsin is one of 11 states to cover both childbirth education classes and infant parenting classes for individuals enrolled in the state's Prenatal Care Coordination program. 

Wisconsin is one of six states that does not cover continuous glucose monitoring for gestational diabetes.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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