BadgerCare to help pregnant immigrants

Delivering healthy babies has to be much cheaper than dealing with all the problems at their birth and later. Babies of mothers who get no prenatal care often have physical and developmental problems all their lives. DP

Healthy babies will cut costs
By Judith Davidoff
The Capital Times, madison.com: Low-income immigrant women who become pregnant don't have many good health care choices.

Ineligible in many cases for Medicaid, and unable to afford out-of-pocket medical costs, they often forsake standard prenatal care.

But Wisconsin is now offering up another option. Starting Jan. 1, immigrant women who don't qualify for Medicaid will be able to access prenatal care under the state's BadgerCare program.

Women in prison will also be eligible for the services.

"It is a really important public health step," said Andy Heidt, co-chair of Covering Kids & Families, a coalition of health-related agencies and organizations. "Quality prenatal care means better birth outcomes, which mean less neonatal intensive care."

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