In Colorado, little is known about pregnancy experiences and outcomes of women receiving Medicaid services. Statewide data for Medicaid and non-Medicaid women can be compared using PRAMS.
PRAMS is a population-based survey asking women about perinatal experiences and behaviors. Using SUDAAN statistical software, Colorado combined two years of data for this analysis. The overall response rate was 73% and the sample size was 4,012. A third year of data will be added to increase the sample size by approximately 2,040 and allow the reliable comparison of three groups: women for whom Medicaid paid prenatal care costs, women for whom Medicaid only paid labor and delivery costs, and women who were not receiving Medicaid services.
Medicaid women report a higher prevalence of selected risks during pregnancy including: late entry into prenatal care (36% vs. 15%); smoking during pregnancy (25% vs. 10%); inadequate weight gain (35% vs. 23%); unintended pregnancy (59% vs. 30%); abuse before (12% vs. 5%) and during pregnancy (7% vs. 3%); and experiencing six or more stressful life events during pregnancy (20% vs. 4%). With regards to birth outcomes, Medicaid women have a significantly higher proportion of low weight births (10% vs. 7%). Preliminary results suggest that expanding prenatal services to Medicaid women to include psychosocial and nutrition counseling, case management, and health education would be beneficial.
Learning Objectives: To discuss how the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System can be used to compare Medicaid and non-Medicaid populations; to understand differences in pregnancy experiences and outcomes in the two populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.