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Addressing Maternal Mortality in Medicaid by Focusing on Mental Health
On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Inland Empire Health Plan, a managed care plan serving more than 1.4 million residents on Medi-Cal in California, about a new maternal mental health program aimed at supporting new mothers, both before they give birth and afterward.
Mental health issues and substance use disorder are some of the contributing factors to America’s high maternal mortality rates, in addition to poverty, racism, and lack of access to adequate health care. Last year, the CDC reported that suicide accounts for 9% of the maternal mortality rate 1 year postpartum. Anxiety, perinatal and postpartum depression, and birth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 individuals, and for those affected, 75% do not get treatment. Women of color are both more likely to experience these conditions and less likely to seek help.
On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Heather Waters, LCSW who leads the maternal health and children’s health services team at Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), a managed care plan serving more than 1.4 million residents on Medi-Cal in California.
She tells us about a new maternal mental health program at IEHP aimed at supporting new mothers, both before they give birth and afterward.
Laundromats as a New Frontier in Community Health, Medicaid Outreach
May 29th 2025Lindsey Leininger, PhD, and Allister Chang, MPA, highlight the potential of laundromats as accessible, community-based settings to support Medicaid outreach, foster trust, and connect families with essential health and social services.
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Workers Facing Greater Economic Hardship More Likely to Report Poor Health
June 2nd 2025US workers facing high economic hardship, especially those in lower-wage occupations, were significantly more likely to report fair or poor health, underscoring persistent disparities in worker well-being.
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