Benefits And Systems Of Care For Maternal And Child Health Under Health Care Reform

The evaluation of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) by the Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (DCP3) focuses on maternal conditions, childhood illness, and malnutrition. Specifically, the chapters address acute illness and undernutrition in children, principally under age 5. It also covers maternal mortality, morbidity, stillbirth, and influences to pregnancy and pre-pregnancy. Volume 3 focuses on developments since the publication of DCP2 and will also include the transition to older childhood, in particular, the overlap and commonality with the child development volume. The DCP3 evaluation of these conditions produced three key findings: 1. There is significant difficulty in measuring the burden of key conditions such as unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, nonsexually transmitted infections, infertility, and violence against women. 2. Investments in the continuum of care can have significant returns for improved and equitable access, health, poverty, and health systems. 3. There is a large difference in how RMNCH conditions affect different income groups; investments in RMNCH can lessen the disparity in terms of both health and financial risk.

America's health care system is being reshaped by a variety of market-driven changes, and states are emerging as the major governmental influence on health care policy. Amid these changes, the health and well-being of children can slip from view. Although most children are fundamentally healthy, they require health care that emphasizes preventive services, such as immunizations and regular monitoring of physical and psychosocial growth and development. This volume takes a broad look at access and quality of care for pregnant women, children, and mothers. Among the issues addressed are the scope of benefits available under various health care reform efforts and services for special-needs children under managed care.

Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that compromise their development, well-being, and long-term outcomes, despite substantial scientific evidence about how those adversities contribute to poor health. Advancements in neurobiological and socio-behavioral science show that critical biological systems develop in the prenatal through early childhood periods, and neurobiological development is extremely responsive to environmental influences during these stages. Consequently, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors significantly affect a child's health ecosystem and ability to thrive throughout adulthood. Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity builds upon and updates research from Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (2017) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). This report provides a brief overview of stressors that affect childhood development and health, a framework for applying current brain and development science to the real world, a roadmap for implementing tailored interventions, and recommendations about improving systems to better align with our understanding of the significant impact of health equity.

America's Children is a comprehensive, easy-to-read analysis of the relationship between health insurance and access to care. The book addresses three broad questions: How is children's health care currently financed? Does insurance equal access to care? How should the nation address the health needs of this vulnerable population? America's Children explores the changing role of Medicaid under managed care; state-initiated and private sector children's insurance programs; specific effects of insurance status on the care children receive; and the impact of chronic medical conditions and special health care needs. It also examines the status of "safety net" health providers, including community health centers, children's hospitals, school-based health centers, and others and reviews the changing patterns of coverage and tax policy options to increase coverage of private-sector, employer-based health insurance. In response to growing public concerns about uninsured children, last year Congress voted to provide $24 billion over five years for new state insurance initiatives. This volume will serve as a primer for concerned federal policymakers and regulators, state agency officials, health plan decisionmakers, health care providers, children's health advocates, and researchers.

Health Insurance is a Family Matter is the third of a series of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United Sates and addresses the impact on the family of not having health insurance. The book demonstrates that having one or more uninsured members in a family can have adverse consequences for everyone in the household and that the financial, physical, and emotional well-being of all members of a family may be adversely affected if any family member lacks coverage. It concludes with the finding that uninsured children have worse access to and use fewer health care services than children with insurance, including important preventive services that can have beneficial long-term effects.

Testimony of a hearing on health care reform, especially as it relates to women, children, and adolescents, is presented in this document. Statements and/or materials by these Representatives is included: Bill Barrett, Matthew Martinez, Mike Bilirakis, and Patricia Schroeder. Testimony and/or prepared statements and materials are included from these persons and groups: (1) Sarah Brown, senior study director, National Forum on the Future of Children and Families, Institute of Medicine, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.; (2) Edmund Haislmaier, policy analyst, Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.; (3) Robert Johnson, director, division of adolescent medicine, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, and chair of the Board-The Center for Population Options, Washington, D.C.; (4) Richard Nelson, president, Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs, director, Child Health Specialty Clinics, and associate professor of pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; (5) Kathleen Renshaw, parent accompanied by Marisa Harvey, Encinitas, California; (6) Joan, Mike, and Steven Weaver, Lorton, Virginia; (7) American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington, D.C.; (8) Margaret Feldman, Washington representative, National Forum on the Future of Children and Families, Institute of Medicine/National Research Council, Washington, D.C.; (9) Richard Flyer, chair, Emergency Medical Services for Children Coalition; (10) Steve Freedman, executive director, Institute for Child Health Policy, associate professor of pediatrics and health services administration, University of Florida, Gainsville, Florida; (11) Bob Griss, senior health policy researcher and co-chair, health task force, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy Associations; (12) March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation; (13) Robert Sweeney, president, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia; and (14) Elaine Walizer, Chagrin Falls, Ohio. (ABL)