Pregnancy tops emergency spending for immigrants

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Childbirth and pregnancy complications account for most of the Emergency Medicaid spending for undocumented immigrants, new research indicates.

Undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for less than 5 years are not eligible for Medicaid, with the exception of limited emergency coverage provided by the Emergency Medicaid program.

To see how the Emergency Medicaid program is being used by this population, Dr. C. Annette DuBard, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Dr. Mark W. Massing, from The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence in Cary, North Carolina, analyzed data for 48,391 individuals who received services that were reimbursed between 2001 and 2004.

The overwhelming majority of subjects were Hispanic, female, and between the ages of 18 and 40, according to the report in the
Journal of the American Medical Association.

During the 4-year study period, total spending rose by 28 percent, the authors note. Eighty-two percent of the spending and 91 percent of hospitalizations in 2004 were related to childbirth and complications of pregnancy.

Other common conditions for which Emergency Medicaid was used included injury, kidney failure, stomach and intestinal disease, and heart conditions.

"Medicaid spending for emergency care of recent and undocumented immigrants, although a small proportion of the total Medicaid budget, is increasing rapidly in this new immigrant growth state," the authors conclude.

While spending on childbirth and pregnancy complications dominate, the researchers also observed rapid increases in the use of Emergency Medicaid services by the elderly and disabled.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, March 14, 2007.