Since 2008 the number of babies born where mom has Medicaid has jumped 19% to be about half of all the births in the United States. This can be an incredible source of data as we move forward with health care reform. We will be able to track birth outcomes, not individual births. This can tell us if having prenatal care will help improve outcomes of moms and babies who have medical coverage compared to those who do not.
More importantly it will help us look at the care moms get between pregnancies, including pregnancy spacing, and if that also improves outcomes. Ideally we'd find that the investment in maternal child health would improve outcomes, meaning fewer mothers and babies who are ill or dying from childbirth and pregnancy related problems like preterm birth and preeclampsia. In turn, the investment in the care would ideally lead to a cost savings.
One thing most aren't talking about in this context is actually the fact that if women have insurance coverage after pregnancy, they may increase the spacing between pregnancies, meaning fewer pregnancies as well as healthier pregnancies. The time between pregnancies also has a lot to do with the health of mom and baby. As many states move to expand Medicaid coverage to include women who are not pregnant, we will be able to look at these trends to see if the investment in expansion has provided this benefit.
Do you know how your state ranked in number of Medicaid births covered?
Source:
Anne Rossier Markus, Ellie Andres, Kristina D. West, Nicole Garro, Cynthia Pellegrini. Medicaid Covered Births, 2008 Through 2010, in the Context of the Implementation of Health Reform. Women's Health Issues, 2013; 23 (5): e273 DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2013.06.006
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Medicaid Pays for Almost Half of US Births originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Saturday, September 7th, 2013 at 09:51:50.
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