Lawmaker: Women Get Pregnant for Free Aid
Posted on: Sunday, 25 September 2005, 12:00 CDT
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A state representative said Wednesday that she is concerned that some single women are getting pregnant so they can take advantage of Oklahoma's free Medicaid health-care program.
Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, said a task force studying Medicaid costs needs to look at the 18-to-30 age category for women, "who are actually encouraged to have children to get on Medicaid."
Denney's comments came during a discussion by the task force that is looking for ways to cut the state's $3 billion Medicaid health- care budget.
Nico Gomez, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, said he is not aware of statistics that substantiate Denney's assertion.
Although low-income pregnant women are covered by the state's Medicaid program, Gomez said, coverage ceases 60 days after a child is born.
However, children might be eligible for free health care based on their mother's income.
According to federal and state rules, a single mother who earns less than $23,735 a year could get free health care for her child.
State and federal Medicaid dollars paid for 28,334 births in Oklahoma during 2003. This was roughly 56 percent of all births in the state that year, Gomez said.
Medicaid provides free health care to children and the elderly poor.
The program also serves the blind and disabled and pregnant single women.
About 20 percent of the state's Medicaid recipients use 70 percent of all services.
Those with severe diabetes and congestive heart failure top the list.
House Speaker Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, said he would like the task force to identify as much as $100 million in annual cuts to the Medicaid program.
Cutting down on emergency-room care is one method of saving money, members said.
They are concerned that people are seeking expensive emergency- room care when there really is no emergency and patients should be going to a primary-care doctor.
Mick Hinton (405) 528-2465
mick.hinton@tulsaworld.com
Source: Tulsa World
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