"Colorado legislators should act now to reinstate Medicaid presumptive eligibility for pregnant women (which was eliminated in 2004) by supporting House Bill 1025.

"Presumptive eligibility allows the state Medicaid program to enroll low-income pregnant women while their application is being processed. Currently, it can take up to five months for applications to be approved. Early enrollment helps these women gain access to screening and diagnostic tests that can identify problems early. This improves the health of not just mom, but her baby, too.

"A recent tragedy in Colorado reminds us how important early access to care can be. After waiting five months for her Medicaid application to be processed, an expectant mother lost her baby after 38 weeks of pregnancy. Had she been enrolled in Medicaid earlier, her healthcare providers would have been able to identify her problems. Her baby's life may have been saved.

"According to the latest available data, Colorado is 20% below the national average for pregnant women receiving what is defined as adequate prenatal care. A similar state with presumptive eligibility found pregnant women 30% more likely to obtain early prenatal care once the program was in effect.

"The March of Dimes urges the General Assembly to pass House Bill 1025 and the governor to sign it to reinstate Medicaid presumptive eligibility as soon as possible. Time matters."

Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes is a nonprofit health organization whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. To achieve its mission, the March of Dimes funds research, community services, education and advocacy. Currently in Colorado, the March of Dimes funds $1.3 million in grants, plus operates its own healthy-baby programs. More about the March of Dimes, plus free infant and maternal health information, is available at marchofdimes.com (English) and nacersano.org (Spanish).