Pre-pregnancy health coverage climbs after Medicaid expansion

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/cums-phc112718.php

Public Release: 27-Nov-2018
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

The number of low-income women enrolled in Medicaid before becoming pregnant rose substantially in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility through the Affordable Care Act, according to researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The results are published online in the journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

"This study suggests that the ACA Medicaid expansion was associated with improved continuity of Medicaid coverage from the preconception to prenatal period," said Jamie Daw, PhD, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia Mailman School. "Higher rates of health insurance before pregnancy may improve access to preconception care, which can help women to appropriately plan their pregnancy and optimize their health before conceiving. Interventions in the preconception period such as disease screening, disease management, and exposure avoidance counseling reduce pregnancy risks and are associated with improved maternal and fetal outcomes."

•••••