There are several health-related problems associated with teenage motherhood. Younger teenage mothers usually do not take advantage of prenatal care. Infants born to these mothers tend to have a high risk of developing health problems. These problems include higher death rates, lower birth weights and greater health difficulties in later life. Competent, timely prenatal care has proven to result in healthier mothers and babies.
Timely care can also reduce the possibility of premature, underweight babies.
Prenatal care for Medicaid recipients is provided through private physicians, hospitals, public health department clinics and federally qualified health centers. Some of the maternity-related benefits covered under the prenatal program are unlimited prenatal visits, medical services to include physical examinations with risk assessments, prenatal vitamins, nutritional assessments, counseling and educational services, appropriate medically indicated lab tests, and referral services as needed. Medically indicated procedures such as ultrasound, non-stress tests, and amniocentesis are examples of other services covered by Medicaid. In order to complete the pregnancy cycle, one postpartum checkup is covered during the 60-day postpartum period. Beginning in 1992, two additional postpartum visits were added for recipients with obstetrical complications such as infection of surgical wounds.