Saturday, May 9, 2009

Birth Centers Being Threatened


Birth centers all across the country are being threatened. Many mothers who are served by birth centers rely on Medicaid to help pay for their care but a recent push has been made to eliminate Medicaid's requirement to pay for services to birth centers, not to hospitals (they still get paid) but just to birth centers! This is a scary thing and anyone reading this, regardless of your belief of where the best place to birth is, should be concerned. First they meddle with your ability to choose your care provider and next they'll be telling you exactly how and when you'll be giving birth because "it's what's covered under your plan" or "that's what you're insurance will pay for" or "it's best for you and the baby or, to quote Monty Python, "you're not qualified" to make that decision.

I hope you will take a moment to sign the following electronic petition, organized by the American Association of Birth Centers.