Navigating the Labyrinth of Pregnancy-Related Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants

An Assessment of Current State and Federal Policies

Bibliographic Data

ID11022385
AuthorsAmanda DiMeo (0000-0001-7827-2258, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Rasheca Logendran (0000-0002-0789-2553, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Benjamin D Sommers (0000-0001-6507-6047, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Alexandra Beecroft (0000-0001-8966-3705, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Yessamin Pazos Herencia (Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Maria Bazan (0000-0002-9818-7699, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Carrie Wade (0000-0002-5972-7242, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Jeffrey Sprankle (0009-0003-4429-1831, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Margaret M Sullivan (0000-0003-2669-8139, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...), Rose L Molina (0000-0001-7977-7960, Amanda DiMeo is with Ariadne Labs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Rasheca Logendran is with Harvard Medical School, Boston. Benjamin D. Sommers is with Harvard Medical School and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Alexandra Beecroft and Yessamin Pazos Herencia are with Brigham Young University, Provo, UT. Maria Bazan, Jeffrey Sprankle, and Rose L. Molina are with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...)
Year2024
Volume114
Issue10
Pages1051-1060
Publication date2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2024.307750
PMID39146520
OpenAlexW4401604650
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Insurance coverage for prenatal care, labor and delivery care, and postpartum care for undocumented immigrants consists of a patchwork of state and federal policies, which varies widely by state. According to federal law, states must provide coverage for labor and delivery through Emergency Medicaid. Various states have additional prenatal and postpartum coverage for undocumented immigrants through policy mechanisms such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program’s “unborn child” option, expansion of Medicaid, and independent state-level mechanisms. Using a search of state Medicaid and federal government websites, we found that 27 states and the District of Columbia provide additional coverage for prenatal care, postpartum care, or both, while 23 states do not. Twelve states include any postpartum coverage; 7 provide coverage for 12 months postpartum. Although information regarding coverage is available publicly online, there exist many barriers to access, such as lack of transparency, lack of availability of information in multiple languages, and incorrect information. More inclusive and easily accessible policies are needed as the first step toward improving maternal health among undocumented immigrants, a population trapped in a complicated web of immigration policy and a maternal health crisis. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(10):1051–1060. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307750 )

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