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Public Aid initiative
to help women
with basic health coverage
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[JAN. 10, 2004]
SPRINGFIELD -- In an effort
to help women leaving the Medicaid program better prepare for
economic independence by avoiding unintended pregnancies and
reproductive health problems, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Jan. 5
that the Illinois Department of Public Aid will offer family
planning services to 120,000 women each year under a federally
funded, five-year demonstration project.
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The Illinois Healthy Women program,
which will be launched in early 2004, will offer women comprehensive
reproductive health care coverage, including annual physicals, Pap
smears, mammograms, contraceptives and treatment for sexually
transmitted diseases.
"This new program will help women to
have greater control over their lives at a time when they are
focused on obtaining economic security for their families," said
Blagojevich. "It gives them the tools to better control the timing
of their pregnancies and will improve the health of both moms and
children."
The expansion is part of the
Blagojevich administration's effort to focus on health care for
children and families. Other family-focused initiatives include the
expansion in 2003 of the KidCare and FamilyCare health insurance
programs for children and parents.
The two primary goals of Illinois
Healthy Women are to offer women tools to prevent unplanned
pregnancies and to assist women making the transition from welfare
to work.
According to Department of Public
Health statistics, about two-thirds of Medicaid births are the
result of unintended pregnancies. Studies show that the use of
family planning services reduces a low-income woman's probability of
pregnancy by 79 percent. Often, a woman's attempts to enter the work
force can be derailed by unplanned pregnancies.
The agency estimates that in the first
five years the effort will prevent 6,600 unplanned pregnancies,
making about $9.2 million available to be used for other services in
the state's Medicaid program. The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services will reimburse the state for 90 percent of the cost
of family planning services.
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"The strategy is to pay now and save
later, while improving women's and children's overall health," said
Director of Public Aid Barry S. Maram. "Family planning services can
improve spacing between pregnancies, which leads to more healthy
mothers and children. The evidence shows that short intervals
between pregnancies lead to higher mortality rates for both mothers
and infants."
The program will be open to Illinois
residents aged 19-44 who are either U.S. citizens or qualified
noncitizens. Eligible women leaving Medicaid will be automatically
enrolled in the program for three months but must indicate they want
to remain in the program after the initial period.
Covered services will include:
"Last July,
Governor Blagojevich signed into law a bill that provides
‘contraceptive equity' for women. Now private health insurance plans
are required to cover FDA-approved contraceptives for women," said
Penny Daly, Governor's Women's Commission executive director. "The
governor is to be applauded for his latest initiative, Illinois
Healthy Women, and his continuing efforts to help ensure that all
women have access to health care and the tools necessary to care for
their reproductive health."
[News release from the
governor's office] |
