Fact Sheet 
Prepared by the  March of Dimes, Indiana Chapter

Why the March of Dimes Indiana Chapter supported the passing of Senate Bill 572:

• Low-income pregnant women in Indiana qualify for Medicaid to cover prenatal care and delivery and Medicaid coverage ended within 60 days after the delivery of the baby.
• Family planning is basic health care that improves the health of women and children by enabling women to plan and space births. Unplanned pregnancy and pregnancies spaced too close together are two risk factors of preterm birth. 
• Preterm birth—which has many potential causes—is a serious health problem in Indiana.  More than 12% of Indiana’s infants were born too soon in 2002.
• 44.5% of all pregnancies between 1994 and 1998 were conceived within 24 months of the last pregnancy. 18.8% were conceived within 12 months. (Indiana State Department of Health)
• Every dollar spent on providing family planning services saves an estimated $3 in expenditures for pregnancy-related and newborn care for Medicaid alone.

Experiences of other States

• According to the National Governors Association, 18 other states including Alabama, Arkansas, and South Carolina have received waivers to extend family planning coverage to low-income women ineligible for Medicaid.
• In Rhode Island, after four years of implementing the family planning waiver, the percentage of women who had become pregnant within nine months of a previous pregnancy decreased from 20 to 11 percent and approximately 1,500 unplanned pregnancies were avoided among the Medicaid population, saving the state $14.3 million.

March of Dimes Policy
The March of Dimes recognizes the value of prepregnancy health care and family planning in reducing the risks of birth defects, low birthweight, and infant mortality. The March of Dimes supports access to family planning services for all women of childbearing age, regardless of income.

Senate Bill 572 Medicaid Waiver for Family Planning

• Senator Vi Simpson (D) and Senator Luke Kenley (R) introduced Senate Bill 572, which allows the office of Medicaid policy and planning to apply for a demonstration waiver to extend Medicaid coverage of family planning services for certain women.
• This bill passed and if the waiver is granted, federal dollars will pay for 90% of Medicaid family planning services as compared to only 60% of regular Medicaid services.

For more information contact:  

Jan Petty, State Director of Program Services/Public Affairs
March of Dimes, Indiana Chapter
     (317) 262.4668 or jpetty@marchofdimes.com