Reproductive Health

Geographic gaps in hospital-based obstetric services are often framed as “maternity care deserts,” emphasizing community vulnerability and motivating targeted investments. More

Public health prevention initiatives (inclusive of clinical care/services) concerning women have historically pursued two relatively independent tracks: a maternal and child health (MCH) track and a family planning track. While not so far apart from one another, their language, practice, and policy have kept MCH and family planning services in silos at the expense of providing a comprehensive continuum of care and services for sexual and reproductive health. More

Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for only 3 months in any 36-month period, after which they are subject to a work requirement to continue receiving benefits. More

Access to sexual and reproductive health care varies widely by geography, and state-level policies play a major role in establishing the contours that govern the coverage, provision, availability, and costs of services. More

Context: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, persons with pregnancy Medicaid coverage were typically disenrolled after 60 days postpartum, at which point they could retain Medicaid only if they qualified through another eligibility category (most commonly as a parent). The March 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) extended postpartum Medicaid coverage by requiring states to pause disenrollment in exchange for enhanced federal funding. More

The alarming rise in US maternal mortality and disparities in perinatal, sexual, and reproductive health outcomes underscores the urgent need for effective, equitable, and evidence-based models of care. Care provided by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) has played a critical role in addressing these disparities, yet a comprehensive synthesis of its impact across health care quality domains is lacking. More

Despite the dynamic and multidimensional nature of the legal landscape for abortion, the negative effects of restrictive state abortion policies are beginning to emerge. More

Health insurance coverage increases access to recommended pregnancy care, but undocumented immigrants are not eligible for pregnancy Medicaid coverage without state uptake of alternative policy options. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia (DC) offer public insurance to undocumented immigrants who are income eligible for pregnancy Medicaid through the Children’s Health Insurance Program From-Conception-to-End-of-Pregnancy option or state funds. More

Context: The 2015 to 2020 Delaware Contraceptive Access Now (DelCAN) initiative was motivated by Delaware’s having among the highest rates of… More

Everyone is familiar by now with the United States’s appalling maternal and infant mortality statistics. Despite leading the world in health care… More