September 25, 2023 U.S. Maternal Deaths Rise as Health Disparities Increase; Local Resources Offer Support A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has revealed significant increases in pregnancy-related deaths across the United States, with disproportionate losses among Black, Native American, and Alaska Native people. About the Study Entitled, “Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States,” the study analyzed state-by-state census data from 1999 to 2019 on pregnant or recently pregnant individuals aged 10 to 54 years, to provide comprehensive evidence on maternal morbidity and to guide policies aimed at preventing maternal deaths. Key Findings Results revealed a stark spike in maternal mortality rates, with pregnancy-related deaths more than doubling among all racial and ethnic groups across the U.S. over the last 20 years, and more than tripling for Native American and Alaska Native people. However, maternal mortality remains the highest among the nation’s Black population, continuing historic trends. Unfortunately, worsening healthcare for Black and BIPOC mothers—a trend typically relegated to southern states—is expanding. According to the study, New York and New Jersey saw an increase in Black and Latina deaths, while more Asian mothers died in Wyoming and Montana. Supporting Information In interviews with study authors and other medical professionals, WESA, an NPR affiliate, revealed the uniqueness of this upward trend, noting that other high-income countries have seen their maternal morbidity rates decline as a result of increasingly accessible healthcare. Consequently, state review committees consider most maternal deaths preventable, as most deaths appear linked to untreated health conditions and complications. Thus, WESA sites researchers are advocating for improved access to care, which Medicaid may allow, as the program pays for about half of U.S. births. Local Maternal Health Resources Local programs and services may help new and expecting mothers in the Greater Pittsburgh Area and Pennsylvania. Some of these resources include: 211 Pennsylvania Prenatal Care Services AHN Pregnancy and Newborn Services Allegheny County Office of Family and Child Health Catholic Charities Roselia Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services HealthCare.gov: Health Coverage If You’re Pregnant, Plan to Get Pregnant, or Recently Gave Birth Healthy Beginnings Plus Healthy Start Pittsburgh Hello Baby: Home Visiting Medical Assistance for Children and Pregnant Women The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health UPMC Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine Learn More Find the status of local maternal health and learn about the state maternal morbidity review committee on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. To learn more, read the NPR and WESA article, “U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.” Sources Information for this post was taken directly from “Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States”—a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)—and the NPR and WESA article, “U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here’s who is most at risk.” Text has been added, paraphrased, and adapted for reproduction, readability, and comprehension, and resources curated from a number of online sources. Related Content & Resources National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Available Prenatal-to-Three Playbook Details State of Child Care in Allegheny County, Shares Resources Resources for May Observances: Mother’s Day PA Receives $1.2 Million to Promote Maternal and Child Health Through 2026
July 25, 2022 Resources for Impacts to Medicare and CHIP Now that the public health emergency surrounding COVID-19 has expired, states will require eligibility renewals for most receiving Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the first time since March 2020. Given that significant time may have elapsed since families were last required to renew, the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families issued a Dear Colleague letter in May explaining what the eligibility renewal means for Medicaid and CHIP enrollment and how to help families in danger of losing health care coverage. This situation impacts both families and child care providers and requires each group to take specific and targeted steps in order to prevent the loss of benefits. Overview In order to assist families during the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a Public Health Emergency declaration (PHE), which offered flexibility and additional resources for families struggling during the pandemic. Since the PHE has expired this month, the flexibilities and waivers surrounding it have also dissipated, the most pressing of which requires the need to renew Medicaid and CHIP benefits. Impacts to Benefits At the beginning of the pandemic, HHS took steps to prevent ineligible recipients of Medicare and CHIP from losing benefits. This sharply increased enrollment from 16 million beneficiaries to over 70 million. Now that these steps have expired with the PHE, families required to renew their benefits. Since renewals have not taken place since 2020, the most proactive step that families can take to prevent their loss of benefits are: Updating their contact information with state Medicaid program or CHIP Checking their mail for a renewal form while completing and submitting the form in a timely manner. Assistance with these key messages is available in a Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding — Toolkit in English (PDF) and a toolkit in Spanish (PDF). Additionally, there are key steps that child care providers can take to share this information with their families: Train all front-line staff and ensure they are knowledgeable on steps families can take to renew their health care coverage. Share key information on Medicaid and CHIP renewal as part of their application intake or renewal process for other programs. States may use information from other programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to verify eligibility and facilitate renewals, though some actions will require a state plan amendment. CMS encourages states to set a renewal schedule that spreads renewal volume over a full 12-month period and aligns renewal dates for individuals within households and with recertification timing for the SNAP and other human services programs. Promote Medicaid and CHIP renewal on their websites, social media channels, and in physical offices. Medicaid Unwinding Toolkit graphics are available in English and Spanish. Ensure that families know if they are no longer eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, they may be eligible for the Health Insurance Marketplace. Direct them to or help them visit HealthCare.gov Visit disclaimer page, or call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325) to get details about Marketplace coverage.
December 8, 2021 Pennie and PennAEYC Individual Health Care Options Webinar PennAEYC will host the team at Pennie to present information about affordable, individual health care options in the open insurance market place for the commonwealth. This is an opportunity for Pennsylvania’s early learning providers and others looking for affordable health care options. On Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. we will offer an informational webinar about insurance coverage options on the open marketplace. Access the webinar online at the designated time. This webinar will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. It will be available following the webinar on the PennAEYC website. About Pennie Pennie is the official health insurance marketplace in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania established under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The exchange enables eligible individuals to purchase private health insurance coverage at federally subsidized rates. Visit the Pennie website today to learn more about your individual health care coverage. Open enrollment runs from November 1, 2021 until January 15, 2022.
February 4, 2021 Health Care Education Session Are you interested in learning how to use the new portal that replaced healthcare.gov in Pennsylvania? Join the City of Pittsburgh in February for their Health Care Education Sessions. About Pennie is the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange, which has replaced the marketplace at healthcare.gov. Over 27,000 people in Pittsburgh are uninsured, and many others are under-insured, but could be eligible for financial assistance or additional programs. Sign up for one of two education sessions for City of Pittsburgh residents to learn more about Pennie! Session Dates February 10, 2021 | 2 p.m. February 11, 2021 | 10 a.m. Registration To register, use the session hyperlinks above. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For more information, visit the event webpage.
