The Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to abortion generated confusion and challenges for healthcare providers as a number of states moved to pass partial or total bans on the procedure.
The CMS released a maternal health action plan following the Supreme Court ruling with the goal of improving access to emergency care, including abortion when it is the necessary stabilizing treatment. The initiative also aims to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
Whether state restrictions on abortion will reduce overall access to maternal and infant care and worsen health outcomes is a concern, the Commonwealth Fund said. For the report, the researchers used public data sources to compare the 24 states, and the District of Columbia, where abortion is accessible and the 26 states that have banned or plan to ban or restrict abortion.
They found that in states with abortion bans or restrictions, 39% of counties are considered maternity care “deserts,” defined as areas where access to maternity healthcare is limited or absent, either due to lack of services or barriers to accessing care. The number compares with 25% of counties in states with access to abortion.
Abortion-restricted states also have fewer maternal care providers than states with abortion access, including a 32% lower ratio of obstetricians to births and a 59% lower ratio of certified nurse midwives to births, the analysis found.
The lack of maternity resources also could make it harder for pregnant people to get prenatal care. In abortion-restricted states, the number of people giving birth who had no prenatal care or late prenatal care was 62% greater than in abortion-access states.
To avoid that outcome, states could attempt to recruit more maternity care providers, including midwives, physicians, doulas and nurses, and could promote the operation of more birthing facilities, the researchers said. Additional support could be provided to community-based organizations and perinatal healthcare teams through a combination of Medicaid and public health funding, while provider financial incentives could drive better quality in maternal healthcare, they said.
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Cases ranged from improper psychiatric treatment to providing false Medicare claims and illegal kickback schemes.
As M&A intensifies and companies are more likely to embrace more holistic and value-based care models, partnerships have become more closely intertwined.
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Cases ranged from improper psychiatric treatment to providing false Medicare claims and illegal kickback schemes.
As M&A intensifies and companies are more likely to embrace more holistic and value-based care models, partnerships have become more closely intertwined.
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