Health services research
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Health services research · Jun 2001
Comparative StudyChanges in prenatal care timing and low birth weight by race and socioeconomic status: implications for the Medicaid expansions for pregnant women.
To conduct the first national study that assesses whether the Medicaid expansions for pregnant women, legislated by Congress over a decade ago, met the policy objectives of improved access to care and birth outcomes for poor and near-poor women. ⋯ The expansions in Medicaid lead to significant improvements in prenatal care utilization among women of low socioeconomic status. The emerging lesson from the Medicaid expansions, however, is that increased access to primary care is not adequate if the goal is to narrow the gap in newborn health between poor and nonpoor populations.