State audit finds Louisiana Medicaid recipients to be underserved with regard to prenatal care

A state audit has found that prenatal care for Medicaid recipients in Louisiana is going in the wrong direction. Chris Magee, the data analytics manager at the Legislative Auditor’s Office, says the audit has found that more than one-fourth of pregnant women in Louisiana did not receive care in their first trimester of pregnancy, with Medicaid recipients being disproportionately affected.

“There are 24 Parishes in the State that do not have an OB-GYN who accepts Medicaid. About 18% of OB-GYNs who actually do accept Medicaid didn’t provide any services to Medicaid beneficiaries,” Magee said.

Magee says what’s frustrating about this report is that it comes amid the state spending $400-million dollars on maternal health reforms.

“They’ve put a lot of money into maternal health initiatives, but they aren’t necessarily leading to measurable outcomes for the beneficiaries they’re intended for,” Magee said.

Magee says the state will look to make it easier for OB-GYNs to provide services to Medicaid recipients.

“The State is looking at changing its fee schedule, which hopefully will incentivize more providers to participate in the Medicaid program,” Magee added.