The Effect of Expanding Medicaid Coverage to Poor Uninsured Women on Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes

Have the recent Medicaid eligibility expansions improved pregnancy outcomes for low-income women? Harvard Medical School evaluated the impact of these expansions on the utilization of prenatal services, health outcomes of the mothers and their infants, incidence of Caesarian sections, and length of hospital stay in two states -- California and South Carolina. The researchers used linked hospital discharge and vital statistics data to compare these factors before and after the expansions for the previously-uninsured women and infants with those who have private insurance coverage.