U.S. Birth Centers in Danger of Closing

Miriam Axel-Lute — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Everyone likes a best of both worlds solution, right? For many pregnant women, birth centers provide just that. For low-risk pregnancies, they are a comfortable, calm, non-hospital atmosphere in which to give birth. They often have pools, and kitchens for family members to cook in. They don't separate mother and baby after birth, but check vitals right there. And yet, for those uncomfortable with birthing at home, there are also a staffed and equipped medical facility, usually quite near a hospital and with established transfer protocols in place. They are often crucial in rural areas where hospitals are few and far between.

And yet, after 20 years, the federal Medicaid agency has all of a sudden begun to refuse to pay for them. (Why? Do they prefer to pay tons more for a hospital birth?) The agency claims there is nothing specifically in any legislation saying that it's a covered cost. (Ah, I see. Bureaucracy strikes again.)

This is not merely a case of the poor getting screwed either notes the American Association of Birth Centers. Other payers follow Medicaid's example, they say. Basically, if the law isn't changed, pronto, freestanding birth centers will be fighting for their financial lives. Many are already suffering from refused payments.

There is a chance to clarify the law when the SCHIP bill passes, but it has to be done before the Christmass recess, so AABC is asking everyone to call their congresspeople and let them know that this is in fact important—a no-brainer even (but perhaps you oughtn't to use that phrase).

Photo from Alma Midwifery.

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Taking the Midwifery Cause to . . . Postage Stamps

Miriam Axel-Lute — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:30:00 GMT

You've likely heard about the whole Stamps.com thing where you can order honest-to-god postage ("metered postage," the USPS hastens to add, not "real stamps." But they'll get your letter where it's going) with your own photos on it. Apparently they get touchy if you try to put anything "randy" or political (at least antiwar) on them though.

Happily for supporters of midwifery, however, the good folks at Stamps.com don't know just how political the choice of a birthing attendant can be, and they've got a lovely set of stamps available in partnership with the American College of Nurse Midwives that either say "Choose a Midwife" or give ACNM's website and have beautiful pictures of a pregnant belly and newborns (or ACNM's logo).

It's looks like ACNM has become a Stamps.com affiliate, which according to the site should be earning them "high commissions," which I'm glad to hear, since the cost for a sheet of their stamps comes out to well over twice the cost of the postage itself, even before shipping. If they sell, it sounds like a decent blend of fundraising and just getting the word out. I can hear the people in the mailroom now: "What was that on that envelope? . . . No, the stamp, not the crayon scribbles and apple juice spill."

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Six Steps to a Parent-Friendly Wedding

Strollerderby : birth choice

U.S. Birth Centers in Danger of Closing

Taking the Midwifery Cause to . . . Postage Stamps