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N.J. urged to boost prenatal care
To help at-risk women, a task force called for education and broader access to insurance.
TRENTON - Warning that pregnant women most at risk of losing their babies aren't getting enough care, a New Jersey task force yesterday called for better education and improved access to health insurance, among other recommendations.
"Teens, minorities, unmarried mothers, and mothers with less education remain less likely to receive early prenatal care even though these mothers are most likely to benefit from early prenatal care because of higher risk of poor birth outcomes," the Prenatal Care Task Force wrote in its report.
The document cited a 2007 National Women's Law Center study that ranked New Jersey 40th among the states in the percentage of women who received prenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy.
"Despite major expansions of health-care access during the 1990s, one in five women giving birth in New Jersey in 2006 still failed to receive first trimester prenatal care," the report said.
The task force reviewed state data and found that the greater a woman's access to health insurance, the more likely she is to receive prenatal care in the first three months.
Between 2002 and 2006, 21 percent of new mothers in the state lacked health insurance before pregnancy, and were more likely not to seek health care in the first trimester, according to the report.
The task force recommended not only expanded health coverage but also more educational efforts to increase early awareness of pregnancies and unintended pregnancies.
"Efforts to improve access to early prenatal care must also focus on women before they become pregnant and promote the use of preconception care and family planning services," the report said.
The report lays a foundation for the state to "improve access and reduce barriers to early prenatal care and help to diminish racial disparities in birth outcomes," Gov. Corzine said. "We also must ensure that there is a sufficient network of obstetricians and other medical professionals to provide prenatal care to those who seek services."
Ronald Chen, the state's acting child advocate, said expanding access to insurance was especially important and pledged to work with other agencies to increase enrollment in FamilyCare, a federal- and state-funded health insurance program for uninsured children and families with limited incomes.
Assembly Human Services Chairwoman Sheila Oliver (D., Essex) said she planned to craft legislation to address the report's recommendations, especially those related to education.
