AlaskaBirth

Posts Tagged ‘Alaska’

Please join us this Friday night at 7 pm at One Family Birthing Center in Anchorage.  We are hosting free meetings to share up to date information, education & fellowship for expecting parents and birth professionals.  We discuss a wide variety of issues related to pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum.  Meetings are free and children are welcome!

Hoorah for Senator Begich for co-sponsoring the Birth Center Medicaid Reinbursement Act!   If passed, it will insure the option of  birthing centers for women in Alaska and across the country.   This bill is crucial because recently a judge in Texas ruled that it is illegal for Medicaid to reimburse birthing centers nationwide for their facility fee, the same fee that they pay without question to hospitals.   If this trend continues, birthing centers across the country will have to close their doors.  Many birthing centers serve 50-65% of medicaid clients…some up to 95%, often in areas with no other option for maternity care.   And despite birthing centers provide safe, effective maternity care at a fraction of the cost, medicaid will currently only reimburse the hosptials fee.  In 2007  the average birthing center fee was under $2000, while the average hospital fee was between $7800 to over $16,000.    If passed, this legislation will save us big money and increase access to birth choices for all women.   Please contact Senator Begich and thank him for his work at:   (907) 271 – 5915 or (877) 501 – 6275  http://begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator   You can also contact Senator Murkowski and encourage her vote to pass this bill or even co-sponsor!  http://murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactMe.EMailLisa