- The ARC - California Edition -

Drive Through Deliveries

The new approaches to health care have resulted in the introduction of a number of "innovative" cost reduction measures - some that make sense, and some that do not - according to health care advocates.

Prompted by concerns from potential parents and professionals that health care organizations were cutting short the hospital stays for mothers and infants, efforts to stop these activities have been started. Assembly member Elizabeth Figueroa (Fremont) introduced a bill early this year to require of health maintenance organizations and health insurers that they pay for at least a 48-hour hospital stay following a normal delivery.

Support for this proposal came from a surprisingly large group of organizations, that often report a growing trend to discharge mothers and newborns from the hospital as early as eight hours after childbirth.

The supporters of the Figueroa bill (AB38) also indicated that they are finding no at-home follow-up care being provided by the health maintenance organizations or the health insurers in these situations. Most of the bill’s advocates were voicing the expectation that this new streamlined approach to maternity care would result in a significant increase in common problems for the newborns, such as jaundice and dehydration.

Opposition tended to focus on fiscal and procedural affairs.

Insurers opposed the provision that allowed for a post-discharge follow-up visit, indicating that this would add to the cost of insurance and have a chilling effect on those currently purchasing or wishing to purchase coverage.

The bottom line is that the bill which was known as AB38, is now passed and has been signed by the governor.

The law within California, effective immediately, is that every health care service plan contract must provide maternity coverage with benefits for in- patient hospital care of at least 48 hours following a normal vaginal delivery, and at least 96 hours following a delivery by caesarean section.