HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE AND UTILIZATION OF PRENATAL CARE IN THE UNITED STATES

Author(s)

Zelle L
GfK Custom Research, Wayland, MA, USA

OBJECTIVES: Early and regular prenatal care has been demonstrated to impact pregnancy outcomes from both the maternal and neonate perspective. Lack of adequate prenatal care has been tied to low birth weight (and associated morbidities) as well as higher infant mortality rates.[1] The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between insurance coverage and prenatal care utilization in the United States to determine whether increased rates of coverage following the implementation of health care reform had an impact on prenatal care utilization. METHODS: Data from the CDC and the US Census Bureau were used to establish prenatal care utilization rates, and health insurance coverage rates among women of childbearing age from 2010 to 2014. RESULTS: The rate of women of childbearing age who were uninsured decreased from 19% in 2010 to 12% in 2014. The percent of live births associated with early prenatal care (first trimester) increased from 74% in 2010 to 76% in 2014.  However the percent of births associated with no prenatal care increased slightly from 1.6% in 2010 to 1.7% in 2014.  CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that since 2010, the rate of insurance coverage among women of childbearing age has increased, and this is correlated to an increase in early prenatal care utilization. Further study is needed to understand the effect of non-insurance barriers to prenatal care access and utilization in the post-healthcare reform environment.

[1] Alexander GR and M Kotelchuck. Assessing the role and effectiveness of prenatal care: history, challenges, and directions for future research. Public Health Rep. 2001 Jul-Aug; 116(4): 306–316.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2016-05, ISPOR 2016, Washington DC, USA

Value in Health, Vol. 19, No. 3 (May 2016)

Code

PHS156

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health

Topic Subcategory

Public Health

Disease

Reproductive and Sexual Health

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