Findings on Managed Care Discussed by Investigators at University of Iowa (Providing Prenatal Care for Patients With Limited Medical Insurance Coverage): Managed Care

2022 SEP 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A new study on Managed Care is now available. According to news originating from Iowa City, Iowa, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Newer immigrants to the United States, whether undocumented, recent legal immigrants, those here on temporary visas, or migrant workers, are far less likely than native-born residents of the United States to have reliable health insurance. This entire group of patients is then at risk for delayed or absent medical care.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Iowa, “Our study focused on what effects a free, quality prenatal care program had upon prenatal care and delivery outcomes for an underinsured population, primarily of immigrant women. With a recent change in Iowa’s eligibility criteria for Presumptive Medicaid (referred to as Temporary Medicaid), pregnant patients who have less than a 5-year legal permanent residency status, undocumented status, or out-of-country resident status can receive up to two months of covered antepartum care, whereas previously eligible for coverage for the entirety of their pregnancy. With that reality, several faculty members from the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Iowa started a weekly prenatal care clinic in collaboration with the longstanding Iowa City Free Medical Clinic. This study sought to compare outcomes for patients who utilized only Temporary Medicaid to those who also had access to this prenatal free medical clinic (FMC), as well as to compare outcomes for the FMC program to typical Medicaid patients who had access to full prenatal care. Compared to the Temporary Medicaid-only group, our FMC patients had a significantly greater number of prenatal visits. This increased access of continuity prenatal care led to increased screening for gestational diabetes, receipt of recommended vaccinations, and screening for group B streptococcus.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our effort has shown that expanding prenatal healthcare coverage to this underinsured population can greatly increase the quality of maternity care and reduce the potential for high-risk pregnancies, bettering the care for these pregnant women and their newborns.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Providing Prenatal Care for Patients With Limited Medical Insurance Coverage. Journal of Community Health, 2022. Journal of Community Health can be contacted at: Springer, One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States. (Springer - www.springer.com; Journal of Community Health - http://www.springerlink.com/content/0094-5145/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Wendy W. Shen, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Dept. of Family Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States. Additional authors for this research include Emily Welder, Jason Powers, Alka C. Walter and David Bedell.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-022-01133-0. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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