Change in Medicaid reimbursement may reduce rate of closely spaced births among teens
Change in Medicaid reimbursement may reduce rate of closely spaced births among teens
Long-acting contraception after childbirth could help teens avoid short-interval pregnancies.
What
Medicaid reimbursement practices that make it easier for hospitals to provide long-acting, reversible contraception (LARC) (https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/contraception/conditioninfo/types) immediately after childbirth reduced the rate of closely spaced births among teenagers in
Short intervals between pregnancies increase the risk of childbirth complications and have been linked to adverse outcomes for newborns, including preterm birth, low birthweight and death. To reduce these risks, healthcare practitioner groups recommend waiting at least six months before conceiving again and recommend that women should be counseled about contraception, including LARCs, soon after childbirth. However, according to the study authors, insurance reimbursement practices, which issue a single payment to hospitals for all childbirth services, may deter hospitals from providing LARCs in the hospital stay immediately after birth.
In 2012,
Overall, the findings suggest that reimbursing hospitals for LARCs separately during childbirth hospitalizations may increase the availability and use of contraception and help teens avoid short-interval births.
Who
Reference
Steenland MW, Pace LE, Sinaiko AD, and Cohen JL. Association Between South Carolina Medicaid's Change in Payment for Immediate Postpartum Long-Acting Reversible Contraception and Birth Intervals.
About the
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