Oregon’s Medicaid Expansion Improved Prenatal Care Access and Birth Outcomes
Recent studies from Oregon State University found that Oregon’s 2014 Medicaid expansion has contributed to increased prenatal care for low-income women and improved outcomes for newborn babies. One study found that first trimester prenatal care utilization increased by nearly two percentage points in the three years after Medicaid expansion in Oregon. Over the same period, the second study found that Medicaid expansion was associated with a 29 percent reduction in low birthweight among babies born to women on Medicaid in addition to a 23 percent reduction in preterm births. The study also found nearly twice the increase in gains in pre-pregnancy enrollment in Medicaid among Hispanic women compared with non-Hispanic white women. Researchers stated that increased pre-pregnancy enrollment in Medicaid likely contributed to the positive impacts on low birthweight and preterm births, as women with health coverage had greater access to preventive care and preconception care.