Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, has co-authored a bill with Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, to address postpartum care for new mothers on Medicaid. (Photo/Abigale Lash of TheStatehouseFile.com)
By Abigale Lash TheStatehouseFile.com January 7, 2026
People looking to testify waited outside the room filled with senators, journalists and doctors. They paced back and forth while reciting their speeches under their breath, hoping to get their point across: Women on Medicaid should have easier access to post-birth care.
The Health and Provider Services Committee met on Wednesday at the Indiana Statehouse to discuss that topic with Senate Bill 51. It would require health-care providers and social services to organize postpartum appointments for new mothers on Medicaid. Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, authored the bill alongside Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso.e
Jackson introduced the bill by stating how important the mental and physical health of new mothers is. She said that care within 60 days of birth is crucial to the overall health of the mother. The committee then heard seven testimonies in favor of SB 51.
“More than half of the maternal deaths occur during this [postpartum] period, and many more women experience complications or conditions that affect the mother and the infant,” said Dr. Brian Cook, an obstetrician and gynecologist at IU Health.
Cook said conditions like postpartum depression, bleeding and more are preventable with proper postnatal care. Yet, he said around 40% of women do not receive any medical care in the weeks after giving birth. The most common reasons women do not follow up with a medical provider are a lack of transportation, child care or finances.
“By implementing policies that share timely, reliable and continuous postpartum care, we can reduce maternal mortality and give others the support they need to survive,” Cook said.
Indiana has the third highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. For every 100,000 live births, 31 women die due to complications from birth or pregnancy.
Sens. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, and Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, talk to each other during the testimony on Senate Bill 51. (Photo/Abigale Lash of TheStatehouseFile.com)
Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, questioned Cook on how a person on Medicaid would make these appointments if they do not have a general health-care provider. Cook replied that women would be transferred to someone in the labor and delivery unit to schedule and process their postpartum care.
“We just want to make sure that these women are receiving the care,” Jackson said. “That’s what this bill is about. What I’m trying to do is take the ambiguity out of it. You guys think that because Medicaid is involved that it’s different. Let’s take the stereotype out of it.”
Dr. Leah Morton, an Indiana Chapter of Postpartum Support International board member and a psychologist, spoke about the mental-health effects that occur postpartum for many women.
“Postpartum depression accounts for 22% of pregnancy-related deaths, yet three of four go untreated,” Morton said. “It is devastating when these women go untreated. It is devastating for the woman, it is devastating for the child, it is devastating for the family. I see it every single day in my practice.”
Authors Jackson and Charbonneau plan to adjust the language in the bill, so it was not voted on Wednesday.
Abigale Lash is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
