Health problems some women experience during pregnancy don’t simply go away after giving birth. Conditions like high blood pressure require ongoing care, often lasting longer than six weeks. But six weeks after birth has been the cutoff when it comes to Texas Medicaid coverage for new moms. That’s changing, however. Starting Sept. 1, Texas Medicaid will cover new moms for six months after birth. Dr. Alison Cahill specializes in maternal fetal medicine, and teaches at the Department of Women’s Health at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School. She says there’s no “switch” that gets flipped after pregnancy when it comes to certain health issues. And protecting new moms is especially important in Texas, where the maternal mortality rate is above the national average.