Difference between Health Impacts of Being Insured versus Being Uninsured Relative to Maternal Health Improvement

            Insured women have higher probability of receiving high-quantity and high-quality services compared to uninsured women. They are able to access information concerning the complications of pregnancy during the visits of prenatal healthcare (Gajate-Garrido & Ahiadeke, 2015). Urine and blood sample tests are taken for analysis to detect abnormalities that might later complicate and interfere with the pregnancy. Prompt management is carried out in order to protect the women and the babies in the womb from any danger. On the hand, uninsured women are unable to access the high-quality and high-quantity services easily because insurance cover is not available which would otherwise help them claim for better services similar to those of the insured. Being insured therefore enables one to access services involving early detection and prompt management of obstetric complications through access to high-quality and quantity services. This leads to better health status of the women and their babies relative to improvement of maternal health.

            Women who have been insured have greater chances of delivering in a health facility compared to those women who are not insured. The uninsured women also have the chances to get the health facility delivery, but the insured women have reduced cases of lacking access to health facility deliveries (Gajate-Garrido & Ahiadeke, 2015). This enables the women to access both preventive and curative care within the health facility. The women are able to gain more information concerning the importance of health facility delivery. It also enables the women to get familiar with the health facilities’ institutional features. This knowledge helps the women to become comfortable and confident with the health facilities. It also enhances proper care for the women and their babies during delivery because there is the accessibility of skilled-birth attendance. This results to good health conditions of the babies and the women which is an impact of improved maternal health.

Comparison of Health Outcomes Related to Improving Maternal Health in United States and Countries with Universal Health Coverage

            The united states have been able to adopt new strategies of preventing infections among the newborn babies who are at high risks. There is the application of good breastfeeding practice to enhance good health and prevent acquisition of infections by the newborn while the countries with universal health coverage has adopted the use of aseptic techniques to prevent the newborns from acquiring infections. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in United States has impacted knowledge on women concerning early breastfeeding which leads to improved health of the new-born (Lauwers, & Swisher, 2015). Women are now in the position to know that breastfeeding is supposed to be initiated within the first hour and exclusive breastfeeding should be practiced for the first six months. Later, safe complementary feeds are supposed to be initiated and breastfeeding continued for at least two years. Contrary to this, improved maternal health has enhanced the usage of preventive measures which are helping in prevention of early childhood early infections. This has been achieved by applying aseptic technique practices during delivery including use of clean kits for delivery and proper care of the cord. This is a different strategy from the one which is applied by the United States. This practice has lead to reduced cases of childhood mortality among the population of the countries with universal health coverage.

            Improved maternal health care has reduced the maternal mortality rates in the United States. The clinics are currently being in the position of providing branded family planning and maternal healthcare services and the services being offered have been upgraded increasing the number of patients going to seek medical help. In the year 2003, the number of childhood deaths among children 1-4 years of age was 31 per 100,000 (Ricci & Kyle, 2009). On the other hand, there has been decreased mortality rate in a country with universal health coverage but contrast to united states, research is showing the rates of maternal mortality is still high regardless of the much efforts to bring this rate down. A country with universal health coverage like Bangladesh, he mortality rate was 32 per 1000 live births in the year 2013 (lessons in sustainable development from bangladesh and india, 2018). These data is showing that the maternal deaths are still high in countries with universal health coverage than in the United States. The rate of deaths among children is still relatively high bearing in mind that there is still a difference in years and more strategies are being put in place to enhance the improvement of maternal health in the United States thus the mortality rate in united states is highly declining compared to that of a country with universal health coverage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

 Devakumar, D., Hall, J., Lawn, J., & Qureshi, Z. (Eds.). (2019). Oxford Textbook of Global

 

            Health of Women, Newborns, Children, and Adolescents. Oxford University Press, USA.

 

Gajate-Garrido, G., & Ahiadeke, C. (2015). The effect of insurance enrollment on maternal and   child health care utilization: The case of Ghana (Vol. 1495). Intl Food   Policy Res Inst.          

Lauwers, J., & Swisher, A. (2015). Counseling the nursing mother. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.  

Lessons in sustainable development from bangladesh and india. (2018). Place of publication not identified: PALGRAVE PIVOT.

Ricci, S. S., & Kyle, T. (2009). Maternity and pediatric nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams &                Wilkins.