Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds – Capsules – The KHN Blog

2013

Let me see if I have this right, 48% of all births in America are paid for by Medicaid, a program for the poor and at the same time nearly 41% of births are to single women, apparently most who are on Medicaid; cause and effect, effect and cause?

Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds

By Phil Galewitz

SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2013, 2:42 PM

About half the births in the United States are paid for by Medicaid — a figure higher than previous estimates – and the numbers could increase as the state-federal health insurance program expands under the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released Tuesday.

All pregnant women with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level, just below $15,300 for an individual, are eligible for Medicaid, and many states provide coverage to women earning well above that amount.

While previous research has estimated about 40 percent of the nearly 4 million annual births in the United States were paid for by Medicaid, the latest study by researchers at George Washington University and the March of Dimes looked at individual state data and estimated that in 2010 48 percent of births were covered by Medicaid. Researchers say they hope to use the figure as a baseline to determine the impact of the federal health law that expands Medicaid starting in January. Under the health law, about half the states are expanding Medicaid to cover everyone under 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

The percent of births paid for by Medicaid varied widely from a high of nearly 70 percent in Louisiana to below 30 percent in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the study found (see chart for individual state data).

The study was published in the September 2013 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Women’s Health Issues.

THIS ENTRY WAS POSTED ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2013 AT 2:42 PM.

via Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds – Capsules – The KHN Blog.

And by the way:

 
Number of live births to unmarried women: 1,607,773
Birth rate for unmarried women: 46.0 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 years
Percent of all births to unmarried women: 40.7%

Source: Births: Final Data for 2011, table C [PDF – 2.2 MB]
Centers for Disease Control

NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid programs provide coverage for pregnant women who are residents of New Jersey and either U.S. Citizens or immigrants whose papers allow them to reside permanently in the US. Family income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) – for example $46,100 annual income for a family of four. This coverage extends to women during the pregnancy and for 60 days following delivery or the date on which the pregnancy ends.

A child born to an eligible Medicaid mother is eligible for NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid for one year regardless of changes in the family’s income. Call your local County Welfare Agency to see if eligibility can be extended beyond these time periods.

Most pregnant women apply for this coverage at their provider’s office, such as a clinic or doctor’s office. The pregnant woman must then follow up with their local County Welfare Agency, where eligibility can be determined.

2012 Income eligibility guidelines at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level for Pregnant Women:

Family Size*
Monthly Income
2 $2,522
3 $3,182
4 $3,842
5 $4,502
6 $5,162

*A pregnant woman is considered a family of two, or more, if a multiple pregnancy.