14148.9-14148.98
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 14148.9-14148.98
14148.9. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that there is a strong statistical relationship between early entry into prenatal care and healthy birth outcomes. An investment in early intervention is highly cost-effective and prevents untold suffering. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the goals of the program established pursuant to this article, in combination with other programs for pregnant women and children, shall be as follows: (1) To improve access to and quality of prenatal care by making existing programs serving poor women more accessible through outreach, coordination, and removal of barriers to care. (2) To combine efforts with other programs to measurably reduce the number of women who smoke, use drugs, or engage in other unhealthy practices during pregnancy. (c) In order to achieve these goals, it is the intent of the Legislature to improve and coordinate existing programs for pregnant women and infants and to remove barriers to care with an intense focus on women who are at high risk of delivering a low or high birth weight baby or a baby who will suffer from major health problems or disabilities. (d) The program implemented pursuant to this article shall focus on those target populations that are comprised of pregnant high risk women or potentially pregnant teenagers, pregnant women, and women of childbearing age who are likely to become pregnant who smoke, consume alcoholic beverages, or use controlled substances, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian-Pacific Island women who are pregnant or of childbearing age, and uninsured women of childbearing age. 14148.91. (a) No later than March 15 of each year, the department shall report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature and the Governor, on a statewide and county-by-county basis, the most recent data on all of the following: (1) The number of live births to women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester, in the second trimester, and in the third trimester, as well as an analysis of barriers to care to the extent available. (2) The number of maternal deaths by race and ethnic group. (3) The number of live births by county, race, and ethnic group. (4) The number of fetal deaths of infants over 20 weeks' gestation by race and ethnic group. (5) The number of infant deaths by county, race, and ethnic group from birth to 28 days postpartum. (6) The number of infant deaths by county, race, and ethnic group from 29 days postpartum to one year. (7) The number of live births under 2,500 grams and over 4,500 grams by race and ethnic group. (8) The number of live births under 1,500 grams by race and ethnic group. (9) The number of women eligible for prenatal, delivery, or postpartum care under Subchapter 19 (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code in the past year. (10) The source of payment for prenatal care and delivery. (b) No later than March 15 of each year, the department shall report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature and the Governor on a statewide basis, to the extent data are available, all of the following: (1) The number of infants eligible for services under Subchapter 19 (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code. (2) The number of newborn babies screened or diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (3) The number of babies born with drug dependencies, HIV infection, and sexually transmitted diseases. (4) Whether the mother smoked, consumed alcoholic beverages, or used controlled substances without a prescription, during pregnancy. (c) (1) The department, in consultation with the Legislative Analyst, shall contract, using appropriate state administrative funds, with an appropriate entity for a one-time, statistical survey of the income of mothers, utilizing a statistically valid sample linked to the birth certificate. (2) The State Department of Health Services shall not use more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of administrative funds for the survey required by paragraph (1). (3) The income information required by paragraph (1) shall be categorized according to the following income categories: (A) Persons whose family income does not exceed 150 percent of the official federal poverty line. (B) Persons whose family income exceeds 150 percent of the official federal poverty line but does not exceed 185 percent of the official federal poverty line. (C) Persons whose family income exceeds 185 percent of the official federal poverty line but does not exceed 200 percent of the official federal poverty line. (D) Persons whose family income exceeds 200 percent of the official federal poverty line but does not exceed 225 percent of the official federal poverty line. (E) Persons whose family income exceeds 225 percent of the official federal poverty line. (F) Persons whose family income exceeds 250 percent of the official federal poverty line level but does not exceed 300 percent of the official federal poverty line. (d) The department shall, in addition to the information required by subdivision (a), report on trends in private insurance coverage of maternity care, to the extent the data is available. 14148.98. No funds from the Health Education Account in the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Fund may be used in a manner that violates paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 30122 of the Revenue and Taxation Code.