PRENATAL CARE: Bond’s Bill Would Enroll Moms in CHIPs

      Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) next week plans to introduce legislation that would allow uninsured pregnant women to enroll in Kiddiecare programs. The proposal, part of the Healthy Kids 2000 Act, is intended to reach the "77% of uninsured pregnant women" who are currently Medicaid-eligible but not enrolled in the program, Bond said. His plan includes funding for substance abuse treatment for pregnant women; the establishment of a national birth defects research center; and rerouting NIH funding to a "pediatric research center" (Berrios, Kansas City Star, 2/18). In addition, Bond's proposal would also boost funding for children's teaching hospitals allow direct access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians and increase funding for local programs under the Birth Defects Prevention Act. "We want pregnant women to be healthy, and we want children to be healthy. So we are going to remove some of the barriers encounter in receiving good, appropriate health care," Bond said (Mannies, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2/17).