First Trimester Prenatal Care in Oregon
2010 Findings from Making the Grade on Women’s Health:
A National and State-by-State Report Card
Grade: Undefined
Rank: 28th
The fifth edition of Making the Grade on Women’s Health: A National and
State-by-State Report Card uses the Healthy People 2010 as a benchmark to
rank and grade each state on key health indicators. The most recent Report
Card finds that women who receive prenatal care beginning in their first
trimester of pregnancy (i.e., within the first 12 weeks) tend to stay
healthier and have healthier babies. The Healthy People 2010 goal is that at
least 90 percent of all pregnant women receive prenatal care in the first
trimester of pregnancy; Oregon currently falls below goal at 79.2%, coming in
28th among the United States and the District of Colombia.
Maternal and infant mortality rates are markers for overall health.

More than two women in the United States die every day from
complications of pregnancy and childbirth; the rate of maternal deaths
in the United States doubled from 1996 to 2006, half of which could
have been prevented if maternal health care access and quality were
improved.

Oregon has established a maternal mortality review board to oversee
maternal health trends and develop effective responsive solutions to
address the rising rate of maternal mortality.

The most recent Report Card finds Oregon’s maternal mortality rate to
be 6.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, scoring a Satisfactory Minus and
ranking 8th in the United States. The Healthy People 2010 goal is to
reduce the maternal mortality rate to fewer than 3.3 deaths per 100,000
live births.

The infant mortality rate in Oregon is 5.6 deaths per 1,999 live
births, earning a Satisfactory Minus grade and ranking 8th in the
nation. The Healthy People 2010 goal is fewer than 4.5 deaths per 1,000
live births.
Impact of the Affordable Care Act:

The federal government requires states to provide Medicaid or
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for pregnant women
whose income is less than 133% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Oregon has a limited policy in that it extends coverage from 134-200%
above the FPL while other states meet policy by covering pregnant women
with incomes at or above 200%.

Oregon requires that managed care programs allow women to have direct
access to broad reproductive, gynecologic, and health maintenance
services including direct access to obstetric and gynecologic care
providers without needing a referral.

Starting in 2014, all new health plans sold to individuals and small
businesses will be required to cover maternity and newborn care,
explicitly listed in the law as “essential health benefits” that must
be provided in all plans. Oregon currently requires plans sold in both
individual and group health insurance markets to cover maternity care.
Making the Grade on Women’s Health: A National and State-by-State Report Card is a
project of the National Women’s Law Center and Oregon Health and Science University,
which was developed to improve women’s health by encouraging policy change at both
the national and state levels. It examines nearly 100 different health status and
health policy indicators to provide the most comprehensive assessment of women’s
health to date.
For more information, see the complete 2010 Health Report Card findings on or after
December 7, 2010 at: http://hrc.nwlc.org or contact p4women@pdx.edu