Bill would require Alabama’s Medicaid to cover postpartum depression screenings

Alabama mothers would be required to receive screenings for postpartum after giving birth under a proposed new law.

SB191, filed by Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, says that under existing law there is no requirement that mothers are screened for postpartum depression.

“This bill would require the Alabama Medicaid Agency to cover screening and would also regulate how Medicaid covers prescription drugs used to treat postpartum depression,” the legislation states.

Postpartum depression is a long-lasting form of depression that women can get after child birth.

The maternal mental health condition can become extremely serious without proper treatment as mothers can develop harmful cognitive and behavioral issues that affect them and their newborn.

Depending on the severity of postpartum depression, treatment can consist of therapy or medication.

Figures’ bill would restrict the Alabama Medicaid Agency from imposing a “step therapy protocol” on drugs federally approved to treat postpartum depression.

Step therapy protocol entails sequentially approving lower-cost drugs before getting to higher-cost drugs in the treatment of a patient.

Insurers use the protocol to cut costs and prevent risks but critics argue it could delay proper treatment for mothers struggling with postpartum depression.

“The Alabama Medicaid Agency may not impose a step therapy protocol with respect to prescription drugs that are approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postpartum depression,” the bill states.

Mothers are susceptible to developing the medical condition up to one year after giving birth.

Symptoms will vary for each individual but can include feelings of guilt, loss of appetite, difficulty bonding with the newborn, mood swings and depression.

The legislation also provides that the Alabama Department of Public Health will be tasked with creating educational materials for patients and health care professionals.

The materials would be posted on ADPH’s website and distributed in print form. The materials would be periodically reviewed by ADPH to ascertain their effectiveness.

And as part of a mother’s postnatal care, doctors and other health care professionals would be required to assess birth mothers for postpartum.

New mothers in Alabama are 20 percent more likely to have postpartum depression, a rate higher than the national average.

According to studies, mothers from racial minority groups are more likely to have postpartum depression due to compounding factors like poverty and difficult living environments.

In October 2022, Alabama Medicaid extended postpartum coverage of pregnant women from 60 days to 12 months.