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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Report: High Uninsured Rate Among NC Women of Childbearing Age

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019   

RALEIGH, N. C. – The number of women of childbearing age in North Carolina who do not have health insurance is among the highest in the country, according to a new report.

It says in states that have expanded Medicaid, women are more likely to be insured, compared with states such as North Carolina that have not.

Researchers at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families released the findings along with the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to make Medicaid expansion optional, North Carolina is one of 14 states that has chosen not to expand the program.

Whitney Tucker is research director at the nonprofit advocacy group NC Child.

"The thing that's really impacting these maternal health outcomes is access to health care for women who are not yet pregnant, and for women who were recently pregnant," Tucker said. "I think that there are social implications about what we think people who are not disabled in any way, and childless people, should be entitled to that come into play here."

Tucker pointed out that Medicaid expansion has helped to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates nationwide, particularly for women of color. However, black women are still three to four times more likely to die from childbirth than white women.

Overall, pregnancy-related deaths among U.S. women have increased over the past two-and-a-half decades, despite the fact that the United States spends more dollars on hospital maternity care than any other nation.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, added that for low-income women, stops or gaps in insurance coverage can take a toll on maternal and infant health, especially in the critical months before pregnancy and after delivery.

"In states that have not expanded Medicaid, typically these women are only getting their coverage after they find they're pregnant, and then they're plunged into uninsured status 60 days after having the baby," Alker explained. "That's problematic, because we know from a growing body of research that women need to be healthy when they get pregnant."

The report also highlights innovative state efforts like the 4th Trimester Project, developed by the University of North Carolina. The program works to help new mothers navigate challenges in the first 12 weeks postpartum.



Disclosure: Georgetown University Center for Children & Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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