MEMPHIS, Tenn. — States with restrictive abortion laws tend to have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children, according to recent research and analysis by The Associated Press.
Tennessee is an example of how this plays out. Tennesseans of childbearing age are more likely to live in maternal care deserts and face an overall physician shortage. Women, infants and children are less likely to participate in a government nutrition program known as WIC. And Tennessee is one of only 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid to a larger share of low-income families.
The AP reported how safety net programs in Tennessee and states with similarly strict abortion laws often fail families. Here are some key insights.
The Republican majority in the Tennessee Legislature has long rejected efforts to expand Medicaid to people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level — about $35,600 for a family of three.
Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that TennCare — the state’s Medicaid program — had unlawfully terminated coverage for thousands of families and provided a “weak” response to nearly 250,000 children losing coverage due to paperwork issues.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee says his administration has improved services. For example, in 2022 it increased Medicaid coverage for mothers from 60 days postpartum to one year, allowing 3,000 additional mothers to benefit from the program annually.
The state also raised the Medicaid income limit for parents to the poverty level – almost $26,000 for a family of three – and started offering recipients 100 free diapers per month for babies under the age of two.
“Pro-life is much more than defending the lives of the unborn,” Lee said in his annual address to lawmakers in 2023 and recently reiterated on social media. “This is not a matter of politics. It’s about human dignity.”
Mothers described several assistance programs as fraught with red tape and other challenges.
Anika Chillis of Memphis was on WIC for several months after her son was born, but then went without due to an error during the renewal process — and eventually got it reinstated with help from the nonprofit Tennessee Justice Center.
Taylor Cagnenacci of Kingsport, who is pregnant and has a 1-year-old child, said she was on the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — formerly known as food stamps — for a while but missed an appointment and was unclear about next steps. . The process of getting recertified was “such a headache” that she has to do without SNAP.
“I just felt like it was being made difficult on purpose so that I would just give up,” she said.
The problems extend beyond Tennessee. Women with young children in states where abortion is banned or limited to the first weeks of pregnancy say it can be difficult to get social services there, according to a study. questionnaire by the health policy research organization KFF. Nearly half said it is difficult for women in their state to get food stamps, compared with 3 in 10 in states where abortion is widely available.
Of Tennessee’s 2.8 million households, 30% earn above the poverty line, but not enough to pay the basic cost of living in their counties, according to a study. recent report. They often do not qualify for government assistance.
A fragmented patchwork of charities can help, but they don’t cover the entire state. Some nonprofits are hampered in helping by government agencies’ income rules. And most charities are limited by the ebb and flow of donations.
Nonprofit leaders fear the holes in the safety net will widen with a new administration in Washington and a Republican Party-controlled Congress. Republicans could seek significant changes to federal aid programs they have long criticized, such as Medicaid and food stamps.
“We’ve had four years of the Trump administration, and the goal under the Trump administration was to cut social services,” said Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy at the Tennessee Justice Center. “I’m concerned… for families in Tennessee and across the country.”
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Kruesi reported from Nashville, Tennessee. AP data journalists Kasturi Pananjady and Nicky Forster contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.