The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Austin that seeks to educate about current policies. The organization’s goal is to affect policymakers’ decisions through comprehensive research and effective outreach. This outreach is usually in the form of newsletters, policy briefs, and events held with state representatives. Their research includes maternity benefits under various low income health care plans.
TPPF released a report in February to address a contentious topic during this legislative session: Medicaid. The publication is titled Medicaid Reform: Constructive Alternatives to a Failed Program. This article covers alternative health-care providers to Medicaid. They suggest a private market health-care provider, TexHealth, which may provide more access and more effective services to low income populations. TexHealth is a sliding scale program for individuals who earn up to 175% of the Federal Poverty Level.
TPPF believes that the maternity benefits for women should be a special consideration in health care plans. They mention that most insurance providers in Texas do not include maternity benefits in typical policies. Medicaid spends 10% of it budget on “prenatal services, delivery, and health care for the first year of the newborn’s life” at a cost of $3.2 billion. Since many recipients rely on Medicaid for maternity services. TPPF suggests that it is financially wise if a maternity rider were offered through the TexHealth program. This is ultimately at a greater cost to the women who must pay for the supplemental coverage, but would lower the costs for those who do not need maternity services. TPPF argues that the alternative plan under TexHealth would encourage individual responsibility for health-care and minimize the reliance on public assistance.
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