Preventive Health Care for Utah Women of Childbearing Age

According to the Utah Health Access Survey, almost 90,000 Utah women of childbearing age were without health insurance in 2006. Utah Hispanic women are much more likely to be uninsured; of the women who reported they had no insurance 46.8% were Hispanic versus 11.8% non-Hispanic.

Women without insurance are less likely to seek the preventive health services needed to insure a healthy pregnancy outcome. We now know that although prenatal care is important, it's too little too late - preconception healthcare is needed to have a healthy baby and mom.

The majority of fetal organs are formed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a time that many women don't know they are pregnant yet. Women with chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension must be well controlled before pregnancy to insure a healthy outcome.

To learn about two programs that provide insurance coverage for Utahans go to www.health.utah.gov/pcn or www.health.utah.gov/upp to see if you qualify. Another resource is Utah's Health Care Safety Net, a source that may be able to assist you in locating the healthcare resources that you need. Go to http://health.utah.gov/safetynet/public/index.htm to locate a provider near you.

Remember for a healthy baby, mom must be in optimal health before pregnancy!