Colorado Governor Unveils $18.1 Million Plan to Include Prenatal Care in State’s CHIP Program

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R) proposed a new $18.1 million program to provide low-income women with prenatal care yesterday after visiting with maternity patients and their infants at Children's Hospital in Denver, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports. Although 2002 will be a "tight budget year," Owens said he seeks to expand the state's separate, non-Medicaid CHIP program, known as Child Health Plan Plus, to cover prenatal care for 3,300 uninsured, low-income women over the age of 19. He said, "It seems to me that covering these eligible babies once they're born but denying prenatal coverage to their mothers simply doesn't make sense and may jeopardize the health both of the mother and the child." Children's Hospital Newborn Center Medical Director Dr. Dan Hall said the program "makes good financial sense," as every $1 spent on prenatal care saves $3.38 in medical care costs for children who do not receive assistance (Sanko, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 10/31). Women who do not receive adequate medical care during pregnancy are more likely to have premature labor, and their infants are more likely to have low birthweights and birth defects. For years, Colorado has had "more than its share" of low-birthweight infants -- those who are born weighing less than 5.5 lbs (Associated Press, 10/31). The CHP+ program currently covers children up to age 18 in families with income up to 185% of federal poverty level (Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts Online, 10/31). Owens' prenatal care plan, which calls for $6.4 million from the state general fund and $11.7 million in federal funds, will require approval from the state Legislature (Denver Rocky Mountain News, 10/31). For further information on state health policy in Colorado, visit State Health Facts Online.