The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) has been very engaged during this legislative session. CPPP is another non-partisan non-profit organization in Austin, Texas with a focus on low and moderate income Texans. CPPP works specifically to address economic opportunity, (quality) affordable health insurance, child well being, public administration, and fair taxation. This is accomplished through research, policy analysis, education, advocacy, and collaboration.
The CPPP recently published a report in collaboration with Texas KIDS COUNT to address the need for prenatal services and preconception health in their report “The State of Texas Children: The Importance of Investing in Children.” CPPP targets prenatal care as a large component of this. They report that 40% of babies are born to mothers who have not received preconception health or prenatal care (23).” This statistic is concerning especially since women who receive prenatal services are shown to have fewer complications during their pregnancy. The lack of prenatal services is not by choice, however. CPPP reports that many women face several barriers to access of prenatal services experienced by many Texas mothers:
· 20.4% lacked enough money
· 17.4% could not get an appointment
· 18.9% lacked Medicaid cards
· 10.4% had no prenatal insurance
· 10.3% lacked transportation
These are significant barriers towards adequate prenatal care, which compromise the chances that an infant is born without complications. These concerns are particularly applicable for low-income women who do not have the resources to access prenatal care. Therefore, CPPP advocates for more consideration of prenatal services in health insurance plans.
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