The expansion of Medicaid across 34 states between 1996 and 2011 resulted in a nearly 8 percent decrease in the number of women who were uninsured during pregnancy, according to a study published in the journal Health Services Research.
For the study, Laura Wherry, PhD, health services researcher at Los Angeles-based David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, examined data compiled from 1997 to 2012 through the CDC's Prevention's Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring surveys. Dr. Wherry used survey data to generate estimates on the number of insured mothers prior to and during pregnancy and changes to the number of women utilizing prenatal care.
Dr. Wherry's analysis associates Medicaid expansion with a 7.9 percent decrease in the number of uninsured pregnant women, a 0.4 increase in mothers initiating prenatal care earlier in their pregnancy and 1.7 percent increase in the number of women with low levels of education who received adequate prenatal care, among other findings. The research indicates that increased access to Medicaid coverage can expand the use of prenatal care among expectant mothers, according to Dr. Wherry.
To learn more about the study and its findings, click here.