skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Jury hears Trump and Cohen Discussing Hush-Money Deal on secret recording; Nature-based solutions help solve Mississippi River Delta problems; Public lands groups cheer the expansion of two CA national monuments; 'Art Against the Odds' shines a light on artists in the WI justice system.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Biden defends dissent but says "order must prevail" on campus, former President Trump won't commit to accepting the 2024 election results and Nebraska lawmakers circumvent a ballot measure repealing private school vouchers.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Bidding begins soon for Wyoming's elk antlers, Southeastern states gained population in the past year, small rural energy projects are losing out to bigger proposals, and a rural arts cooperative is filling the gap for schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Medicaid for Mothers and Infants Pays Lasting Dividends in Minnesota

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 22, 2019   

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new report shows states that expanded their Medicaid program have reduced maternal deaths and infant mortality rates and overall improved positive birth outcomes.

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families report shows that providing health coverage for women before they're pregnant improves the health of mothers and babies.

Stephanie Hogenson, outreach director for the Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota agreed with the findings that Medicaid expansion has made a significant difference.

"States that expanded Medicaid, like Minnesota, saw a 50% greater reduction in infant mortality compared to those states that have not yet to take up the expansion," said Hogenson. "So, this is just another demonstration of how effective expanding Medicaid has been."

The report also shows that Medicaid expansion has sharply reduced the rate for women of childbearing age who are uninsured.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said despite spending more than any other country on hospital-based maternity care, the United States fares worse in preventing pregnancy-related deaths than most other developed nations.

She pointed out that maternal deaths are decreasing globally, but increasing in the U.S., particularly for women of color.

"We are really the only very developed country that's seeing that, and that's very troubling," said Alker. "For states that have not expanded Medicaid, Medicaid expansion is clearly the single most important step a state could take to address this crisis."

At the State Capitol this week, lawmakers agreed to continue Minnesota's provider tax that was scheduled to expire at year's end. The tax funds MinnesotaCare and the state's Medicaid program, which includes coverage for children and pregnant women.

Hogenson noted that uninterrupted funding is important for healthy birth outcomes.

"We are relieved that the provider tax has been protected and will continue," she added, "and Medicaid in Minnesota for now will remain strong, and we can continue to move the needle in the right direction."

Native American, black and Hispanic babies face the greatest risk of adverse birth outcomes, according to the Georgetown report, which was released in conjunction with the March of Dimes and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.


Disclosure: Georgetown University Center for Children & Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument's new Molok Loyuk region provides habitat for tule elk, mountain lions, bears, bald eagles and golden eagles. (Hispanic Access Foundation)

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups, tribes and community organizers are praising President Joe Biden's decision Thursday to expand two national monuments in …


Social Issues

play sound

Pennsylvania is among the states where massive protests and tent encampments opposing the war in Gaza are growing. Elez Beresin-Scher, a sociology …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Studies show suicide is a serious public health problem, claiming more than 48,000 lives each year in the nation. A new initiative from the Zero …


An installation view of the exhibition Art Against the Odds, is shown at the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Kate Mothes)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kate Mothes for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collab…

Environment

play sound

A new film documents the 2018 battle between Colorado environmentalists and the oil and gas industry over proposed fracking regulations. The film …

Among adults in Arkansas, 32.6% report symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, almost identical to the national average. (Halfpoint/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive…

Environment

play sound

As part of an effort to restore the Mississippi River delta, an organization is collaborating with nature to address environmental challenges…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Toughing it out during spring allergy season is not in your best interest if you want to avoid asthma later in life. New Mexico has plenty of grass …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021