Helping State Medicaid Programs Better Address Women's Health Needs
<p>A number of state Medicaid agencies are exploring efforts to improve the quality and continuity of health care delivered to women of childbearing age, particularly given the continuing high rates of maternal and infant mortality and preterm births in the United States. </p><p>In a <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2012/aug/addressing-womens-health-needs-and-improving-birth-outcomes">new issue brief</a>, maternal and child health policy expert Kay Johnson discusses findings from a project sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in which seven state Medicaid agencies identified promising strategies to improve the health of women prior to pregnancy and between pregnancies. </p>
<p>The participating states—California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas—also produced a checklist to help other states identify improvement opportunities that fit within their existing approach to Medicaid coverage for women of childbearing age, care delivery models, ongoing quality improvement efforts, and public health resources. Read about it on <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2012/aug/addressing-womens-health-needs-and-improving-birth-outcomes">commonwealthfund.org</a>.</p>