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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 25, 2024 01:11 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Lisa A. Borowski and Rep. Tarik Khan |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Joint State Government Commission Study of Maternal Health for People Receiving Medicaid |
| Medicaid is a critical resource, and more than three million Pennsylvanians receive health care under this program. This means all manner of life events occur for people on Medicaid and it is important that people in all stages of life have access to the care that they need, and that the General Assembly is well-informed about the outcomes for recipients of public assistance programs particularly as this relates to efforts to address disparities and develop strategies to positively impact health outcomes for communities of color. This is especially true of the many Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients who give birth. Ensuring all residents of our Commonwealth can have access to and receive high quality care to help support successful, healthy deliveries is important. We plan to introduce legislation that would direct the Joint State Government Commission (JSGC) to study maternal health outcomes for recipients of Medicaid in Pennsylvania. The JSGC would research how Pennsylvania’s coverage for maternal care under Medicaid compares to other states, impacts of reimbursement rates on health disparities, treatments where payments are insufficient to cover necessary care, regions in Pennsylvania where maternal health services are no longer available and the challenges access to care presents for Medicaid recipients in those areas, and then issue a report to the General Assembly. This study will help to provide another point of data needed to tackle the high maternal mortality rate of Black and Brown people in Pennsylvania. Medicaid should not be a barrier to the maternal health treatment that a person needs. Pennsylvania must ensure that public assistance programs provide the level of care necessary for healthy births for all women. Please join us in sponsoring this resolution to study maternal health for Medicaid recipients and determine how we can impact the health and wellness of birthing people across the Commonwealth. |
Introduced as HR421