New Findings from State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University in the Area of Health and Medicine Described (Public Coverage of Postpartum Services for Immigrants): Health and Medicine

2025 JUN 02 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Health and Medicine is the subject of a report. According to news reporting from Syracuse, New York, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Importance Although 23% of births in the US are to non-US-born birthing parents and 6% of births are to undocumented immigrants, many immigrants have limited access to insurance coverage for postpartum care or contraception, which contributes to substantial health disparities. Understanding policy variation in postpartum coverage for immigrants may lay the groundwork for assessing the association of different policy options with maternal and child health.”

Financial support for this research came from NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD).

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, “To determine if and how each state provides publicly funded insurance coverage during the postpartum period for immigrant birthing parents. Setting, and Participants Policy documentation from every US state and Washington, DC, was reviewed, and legal epidemiology policy mapping via a qualitative content analysis of policy documentation was conducted. Data were collected and analyzed on an ongoing basis between June 2021 and February 2024. Main Outcomes and MeasuresFor each state, the postpartum funding mechanism for undocumented immigrants and lawful permanent residents were identified, as well as eligibility criteria, services covered, and the duration of eligibility. A total of 19 states cover some postpartum care with the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from conception to end of pregnancy option, 30 states use Medicaid or CHIP through the CHIP Reauthorization Act Section 214, and 7 states use state-only funds. There was wide variation within each of these mechanisms regarding financial eligibility, services covered, and duration of coverage. Conclusions and Relevance The results of this qualitative study suggest that there is substantial variation between states in whether and how immigrants can access publicly funded health insurance during the postpartum period.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Further research is needed to examine the association between state policies and postpartum maternal health outcomes.”

For more information on this research see: Public Coverage of Postpartum Services for Immigrants. Jama Health Forum, 2025;6(4). Jama Health Forum can be contacted at: Amer Medical Assoc, 330 N Wabash Ave, Ste 39300, Chicago, IL 60611-5885, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Rachel Fabi, State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University, Center for Bioethics and Humanities, 618 Irving Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210, United States. Additional authors for this research include Katherine Narvaez Mena, Arielle Desir, Margaret White, Laura Wherry and Maria Steenland.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.0702. 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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