The Importance of Providing Prenatal Care
Restricting adequate, accessible and effective care for unborn US citizens with undocumented mothers would increase healthcare expenditures of the state, be detrimental to the biopsychosocial well-being of the unborn child, have constitutional challenges, and would harm the well-being of Texas residents.
Fact: In 2001, only 2% of pregnant females in Texas were undocumented. (Texas Department of Health, 2003)
Women must receive ongoing assessment during pregnancy
· Studies estimate that every dollar spent on prenatal care yields between $1.70 and $3.38 in savings by reducing neonatal complications. (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2006)
· Prenatal identification and effective treatment of communicable diseases, such as TB, Chlamydia (a sexually transmitted disease or STD) and HIV, can be lifesaving for both the mother and infant, protect communities from epidemics and save hundreds of thousands of dollars in remedial care. (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2006)
· Epidemiologists have found that every dollar spent on prevention care for undocumented women, including prenatal care with screening for STD's, saves over $13; and each prevented case of fetal HIV saves an estimated $400. (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2006)
· If a pregnant female does not receive adequate prenatal care, screening of illnesses such as gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) will be missed, and as consequence the unborn child will be at risk of multi-organ failure involving the liver, kidneys, heart; and may have fatal consequences. (Dstch Med Wochenschr, 2006)
· Undiagnosed and untreated pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) were associated with increased risk for unborn children’s death and severe neonatal morbidity and mortality. (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2006)
· Poor birth outcomes such as preterm birth cost employer-sponsored health plans $5.6 billion in 1990. Prevention of 10% of preterm births would lead to a cost savings of $560 million (Med Care, 1996).
We must increase funding for prenatal care to promote the well being of Texas children; thus helping the state department achieve the Nation’s goals of Healthy People 2010. Healthy People 2010 was developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services in order to provide a framework to help individuals of all ages increase life expectancy, improve their quality of life and to eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population. By continuing to provide emergency care for all Texas residents, the following would be achieved:
1. Promotion of access to comprehensive and high-quality preventive, primary, and emergency healthcare.
2. Improvement of the health and well-being of women, infant, children, and families by the reduction of fetal and infant deaths, the reduction of maternal illness and complications due to pregnancy, an increase in the proportion of pregnant women that receive early and adequate prenatal care, the reduction of low birth weight and very low birth weight, and an increase in the proportion of mothers that breastfeed.
3. Promotion of access to quality services to prevent STDs and complications.