HHS APPROVES WASHINGTON STATE PLAN TO EXPAND PRENATAL CARE
TO PREGNANT WOMEN AND UNBORN CHILDREN

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a Washington State plan to expand health coverage to low-income pregnant women and their unborn children under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The state expects to enroll more than 5,000 people under the new plan.

"This new coverage will give thousands of children in Washington State a healthy start by providing access to prenatal care," Secretary Thompson said. "Prenatal care is crucial to the health and well-being of both mother and child. Vital services during pregnancy can be a life-long determinant of health and we should do everything possible to make this care available to everyone."

With today's approval, Washington State becomes the sixth state to have taken advantage of a new HHS regulation that allows states to expand prenatal services through the SCHIP program. Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Rhode Island are the other states offering this coverage.

Under the new regulation, states can offer prenatal care through the SCHIP program to pregnant women and their unborn children who would not otherwise be eligible for coverage. This allows states to quickly expand coverage of prenatal care to pregnant women and their unborn children, who otherwise would be eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP coverage only after they are born. Low-income pregnant women also may be eligible to receive prenatal services through the Medicaid program.

Under its new plan, Washington State will enroll pregnant women with family incomes up to and including 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Enrollees will receive the standard Medicaid benefit package that includes prenatal care for the mother and her unborn child.

SCHIP was enacted with bipartisan support in 1997 with a total ten-year funding authorized at $40 billion. Although all states now operate SCHIP programs, substantial portions of the available funds remain unused.

"President Bush and I are committed to doing everything we can to encourage states to use all their SCHIP funds to expand health coverage to low-income children and pregnant mothers in their states who otherwise would remain uninsured," Secretary Thompson said.

###

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: September 22, 2003