UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 11 AM ET ON OCTOBER 28, 2022
Newswise — (New York, NY – October 28, 2022) – Immigrant pregnant people faced persistent inequities in obtaining timely prenatal care as compared with native-born pregnant people in the United States over an eight-year period, a factor that could be contributing to longstanding health disadvantages, according to an analysis published in JAMA Network Open on October 28.
The study, led by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University at Albany, SUNY, covered the period between 2011 and 2019, a time when access to prenatal care (defined by the study as health care provided to pregnant people within the first trimester) was increased in states that expanded Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act.
While access to timely prenatal care increased overall after Medicaid expansion, disparities between immigrant and U.S.-born pregnant people grew larger among those of Hispanic descent. In states that expanded Medicaid, 76.3 percent of immigrant Hispanic pregnant people received timely prenatal care after expansion versus about 81.1 percent of U.S.-born Hispanic pregnant people.
About one in every four births in the United States is to a person who is an immigrant or a non-U.S. citizen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some immigrants are excluded from safety-net programs including Medicaid, which provides health care to low-income U.S. citizens.
“Our study shows that immigrant exclusions to Medicaid eligibility may exacerbate disparities,” said co-corresponding author Teresa Janevic, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Population Health Science and Policy, and Global Health and Health Systems Design at Icahn Mount Sinai. “Prompt and appropriate access to prenatal care is important because it benefits mothers and infants beyond pregnancy and birth. We know insurance coverage prior to pregnancy results in an earlier start to prenatal care; therefore, Medicaid coverage before pregnancy is an important lever to improve timely prenatal care.”
The cross-sectional analysis used data from the National Center for Health Statistics and reviewed prenatal care among more than 6 million pregnant people pre- and post-Medicaid expansion in 16 states, including 400,000 immigrant pregnant people. The researchers also factored in characteristics including age, number of children, education level, race, and ethnicity.
Dr. Janevic said the findings could inform current policy discussions around maternal health equity, demonstrating that certain restrictions on Medicaid coverage based on immigration status contribute to disparities between native-born and immigrant people seeking prenatal care in the United States. The study also encourages health care workers and policymakers to address how citizen-based exclusions to health care and social benefits contribute to structural racism faced by immigrant communities, she said.
“Non-citizens face many obstacles to obtaining health coverage both during and outside of pregnancy,” said co-corresponding author Ashley M. Fox, PhD, MA, Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy at University at Albany, SUNY. “The pathways available for immigrants to access care are often complex and vary based on qualifying status, time in the country, and state or locality of residence. Recent policy changes that have extended Medicaid eligibility, both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, have often excluded immigrants either inadvertently or advertently.”
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high “Honor Roll” status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: It is consistently ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools,” aligned with a U.S. News & World Report “Honor Roll” Hospital, and top 20 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding and top 5 in the nation for numerous basic and clinical research areas. Newsweek’s “World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York City and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 30 globally; Newsweek also ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital highly in 11 specialties in “World’s Best Specialized Hospitals,” and in “America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers.”
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