BOISE -- Medicaid and midwives -- that combination could save the program a lot of money at a time when savings are desperately needed.
The arrival of a new baby often means a trip to the hospital. But many women are choosing to give birth at home with the help of a midwife.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the use of midwives grew by almost 30 percent from 2004 to 2009. And Idaho is among the leaders in this trend.
Last year, the Idaho Legislature passed a bill that allows licensed midwives to accept Medicaid, but most still can't deliver babies for families on assistance. That will change when lawmakers complete the process of approving rules and regulations, which is underway at the Statehouse right now.
Once they finish, local birthing centers expect to see more Medicaid patients and they say that will save the system money since using a midwife is significantly cheaper than a hospital birth.
“It's a big step, because many, many women having babies in Idaho are receiving Medicaid benefits and prior to this time women who had Medicaid were unable to afford to see a midwife because midwives couldn't accept Medicaid,” said Paula Wiens, Treasure Valley Midwives.
At the Treasure Valley Midwives Center in Boise -- 150 babies were delivered last year.
Paula Wiens, the owner, says more women are choosing to use a midwife because it's about a quarter of the cost of a hospital delivery. But the process is also more hands on and often times more comfortable than in a traditional hospital setting, that's because the birth takes place at a birthing center or the woman’s home.
Wiens says Idaho is becoming a nationwide leader with the passage of this legislation, because it now offers women more of choice on how to give birth.
The rules have been passed by the Idaho Senate and are now being sent to the House for approval.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare say midwives will be able to begin billing Medicaid by March once the rules are adopted.
