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Prenatal program for moms swells
By JIM ROSS, Times Staff Writer Don't underestimate the value of a few phone calls. That's what local health workers learned as they began administering MomCare, a new program designed to help lower-income pregnant women get the prenatal care they need. Loretta Miller is a MomCare adviser. She spends her days on the phone giving expectant mothers advice and answering their many questions. "Most women are really happy that they have someone who can fill in the gaps, tell them exactly where to go, what Medicaid covers, that they have a choice of where to go" for care, she said. Miller works for the Citrus County Health Department. The Central Healthy Start Coalition hired the department to administer MomCare in Citrus and Hernando counties. Another provider handles the job in the coalition's two other member counties: Lake and Sumter. Miller received her first client names on Dec. 26. Since then, the client base has swelled to more than 200. MomCare is part of Medicaid, which is the state-federal medical insurance program for the poor. Medicaid eligibility generally is based on income. The government loosens the income cap somewhat for pregnant women, allowing them at least temporary access to Medicaid. Not all pregnant women on Medicaid are eligible for MomCare. The program is reserved for two kinds of Medicaid clients: those who met the special eligibility requirements for pregnant women and those who are enrolled temporarily with the presumption that they will be deemed Medicaid eligible once the paperwork is sorted out. History suggests those are two good groups to target, according to Wendy Reed, a registered nurse and the MomCare coordinator for this region. People on standard Medicaid, just like people with private insurance, become accustomed to making medical appointments, selecting providers and otherwise participating in a health care system, Reed said. But the women eligible just because of their pregnancies, or eligible under the temporary rules, often don't have that experience and comfort level. As a result, they might miss out on essential aspects of prenatal care. "In general, they are not used to accessing any kind of health system," Reed said. MomCare advisers review those care requirements, help the women select a health provider, make certain they are keeping their medical appointments and otherwise help them during their pregnancies. The advisers also make certain the women are screened for Healthy Start. That is a separate state program that provides more intensive assistance to women who are at risk of having a troubled pregnancy because of a medical condition or a variety of other factors. In Citrus and Hernando counties, Miller sends a letter to clients within five days of receiving their names. She follows up with telephone calls. If she can't make contact that way, she arranges a home visit. "I think that's really important to these women, that they have a voice out there, an objective voice for them," said Nancy Davis, director of nursing at the Citrus County Health Department. The department receives a little more than $16,000 to provide the services. The contract will be up for renewal in July. Women can find simplified Medicaid enrollment forms at health departments and the offices of health care providers. Once the government processes the applications, it provides names of potential MomCare clients to the state's various Healthy Start coalitions. The coalitions make certain the MomCare providers receive those names. Women aren't obliged to participate, but most do, health officials said. MomCare advisers follow up with them even after the baby is born, as long as the mother remains on Medicaid, Reed said. "We've been very pleased with how the program has begun to impact the lives of the women," Reed said. "We've had many situations where we can see MomCare has been very important in that woman's care in terms of getting into prenatal care, finding out where she can go for that care" and referring women to other community resources that can help them.
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