In the news: Domeyer-Klenske, Powell talk about postpartum coverage
On February 12, 2025, the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Health held a public hearing on senate bills, including a bill about extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for postpartum people for one year after birth. Currently, Wisconsin is one of just two states that have not extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year.
Two members of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology are quoted in news stories about the hearing on postpartum Medicaid extension. Articles about postpartum Medicaid coverage from Wisconsin Public Radio, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Wisconsin Examiner include insights from Amy Domeyer-Klenske, MD, director of the Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Jackie Powell, MD, fellow in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine:
Bipartisan proposal to expand Medicaid coverage for new moms returns to Madison – Wisconsin Public Radio
““A change in health insurance coverage, whether that means being uninsured, underinsured or switching to a new plan with a new provider or out-of-pocket costs can result in missed appointments and lack of access to needed treatments,” said Amy Domeyer-Klenske, an OB-GYN at UW Health.”
Wisconsin lawmakers renew effort to extend Medicaid coverage for new moms at risk of postpartum complications – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Amy Domeyer-Klenske, an OB-GYN in Madison who spoke on behalf of ACOG, recounted a patient who suffered worsening high blood pressure and a life-threatening blood clot after delivery and who required blood thinners and frequent adjustments to her medication that were necessary beyond two months postpartum.
"When we see women who lose their coverage who are newly requiring these medications, we worry as physicians about what will happen to them, their risk for things like heart disease, stroke and death in the upcoming year and beyond," she said. "We are failing to cover mothers like this across Wisconsin."”
Overwhelming support for Medicaid postpartum expansion in Senate Health Committee – Wisconsin Examiner
“Powell said that through her work she sometimes diagnoses a major medical condition, including heart failure, cancer and kidney failure, during pregnancy that “alters someone’s life course.”
“Many of these patients need life-saving surgery and intervention postpartum to save their lives. Oftentimes, we need to deliver patients very preterm so that they can receive this care that they need,” Powell said.”