Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.
Written by Jessica Crenshaw
Arkansas doesn’t have to be one of the worst states in healthcare. There are clear steps we can take to improve the lives of women, children, and everyone living in the Natural State, starting with the immediate and most effective action: expanding Medicaid for new mothers. Arkansas is still the only state that doesn’t support new mothers this way.
By not expanding Medicaid, lives are being lost.
Moms in all the other forty-nine states get to stay on Medicaid for a year after giving birth! As a result, these states are seeing lower maternal and infant mortality rates. Arkansas moms would like to see these benefits, too. Additionally, Maternal Medicaid expansion provides funds to rural hospital maternity units and community OB-GYNs; places that are closing around the state. Opting into Medicaid expansion supports new families and their health providers, boosting both the state’s physical health and its economy.
Our governor only has to say the word for state staff to fill out a Medicaid waiver and, in no time, those resources are available to new mothers. It’s that simple. If it doesn’t make an impact after five years the state can reverse course and opt out.
We have a maternal health problem—why not try Medicaid expansion?
State legislators could also help, but that is a more difficult process requiring the majority of legislators to agree with one another. Sadly, that’s not likely (although in Arkansas, you just never know). The Arkansas Legislature could pass a bill to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to twelve months, but overriding a potential veto from the governor would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate.
Last year, State Rep. Aaron Pilkington, (R-Knoxville), who sponsored the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act in the House, filed a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage. It passed with strong support in the House but not in the Senate.
The Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that 94% of pregnancy-related deaths in the state were preventable.
There are other ways our legislators could help.
In addition to expanding Medicaid, there are other ways our legislators can help. Paid family leave improves the health of parents and children, eases financial strain, and aids in a child’s development. Implementing comprehensive paid family and medical leave ensures working Arkansans do not have to choose between their job and the health of their family.
Another obstacle legislators can address, especially those in rural Arkansas, is affordable childcare. Thoughtful legislation could subsidize childcare administrators and prioritize childcare facilities in rural development programs. There’s proposed federal legislation that could help Arkansas communities most in need. The Expanding Childcare in Rural America Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in September 2025 that would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out an initiative to develop, expand, and improve rural childcare. Currently, the bill has been referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Arkansas moms deserve care.
Can we make a difference in something as big as maternal health outcomes, as the future of healthcare in Arkansas? It’s happened before. Providing Arkansas students breakfast at school every day was a more difficult task than asking the state to fill out a waiver and join the rest of the country. Arkansans want to take care of our moms, but it requires the people we elect to work together and make tough decisions that benefit hardworking Arkansans.
You can help.
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families are reaching out to Arkansans who care about the future of maternal health to join their postpartum campaign. They are asking moms, dads, and everyday Arkansans who have been impacted by this issue to help lead the way. If you’re an individual or part of an organization who cares about Arkansas moms, get involved with Advocates’ work.
Jessica Crenshaw serves as Editor in Chief and Director of Programming at Arkansas Strong. She enjoys writing about interesting people and beautiful places in her home state. She was the Independence County 4-H BB Gun Champion in 1988 and at the age of 12 was awarded a Grand Champion prize at the Independence County Fair for her cornbread-making skills.
