A bill moving through the Legislature extends Medicaid coverage for prenatal care for babies whose mothers are not US citizens. Senator Bernie Hunhoff is a prime sponsor of the bill. He says once the baby is born they’re a citizen and can receive Medicaid coverage. But he says the medical care needs to begin while a baby is still inside the womb. He says Senate Bill 169 saves money by preventing costly emergency and intensive care after birth. He says prenatal care also helps to lower South Dakota’s infant mortality rate.
“Prenatal care saves lives for babies born to very poor families,” Hunhoff says. “It will improve lives. It also shows that babies who get prenatal care and get a healthy start have more success in school, less problems in school, less problems with delinquency. It not only saves lives, it improves lives far into the future.”
Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted four to one to pass Senate Bill 169, sending it to the Senate floor for further debate.