ATLANTA — Republican House leaders want to extend Medicaid coverage to curb the state’s high maternal mortality rate.

House Speaker David Ralston announced Thursday the House will push legislation allowing the Department of Community Health to attempt a federal 1115 Medicaid waiver to extend coverage for new moms from two months to six months.

“You’ve heard me say before, I’ll say again,” Ralston said at a press conference, “that I think that it is completely unacceptable for the number one state in the nation which to do business to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any state in the country.”

The move is one of the “most significant measures” in health care that House legislators can undertake this session, he said.

New data from the Department of Public Health shows Georgia had a rate of 67 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births from 2012-15. Two-thirds of those deaths were deemed preventable. Black women are 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth than white women.

Of those deaths, 66% were moms covered by Medicaid.

The legislation is spearheaded by Rep. Sharon Cooper, chair of the House Health and Human Services committee; she has been advocating for Medicaid expansion for new moms since a study committee in the off season looked at ways to curb maternal morbidity in Georgia.

“I believe this is really a major step forward for our state,” Cooper said.

Advocates and health leaders have tried to push extension even further to a year postpartum but under the tight budget climate a year would be a large ask.

Adding the additional four months of coverage will cost about $19 million, Ralston said.

“I reject the view that if you can’t add everybody right now, we shouldn’t add anybody,” Ralston said. “What we’re doing is dealing with a very critical time in the lives of these mothers and infants.”

Cooper said that out of 135,000 births annually in the state, about 60% of mothers rely on the state’s insurance program.

Only about 30 to 40% of mothers go back for their first postpartum visit.

“We will just have to see how many will take advantage of this,” she said. “And it’ll be an education process of helping teach mothers how important those follow-up visits are.”

The bill would also designate about $250,000 a year in funding for lactation care for new mothers.

Cooper said she hopes the Senate and the governor can get on board.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan told reporters earlier in the session that Senate Republicans were looking at six months of extended coverage. The issue, he said, is personal to him.

“If they can figure out a way to pay for a year, that’d be something to consider,” Dugan said. “… We’ve been looking at the six months — to do the most good for the most people.”