HARRISBURG, Pa. - Marian Jarlenski, associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Pittsburgh, said the project will evaluate whether current racial equity policies in Medicaid maternal care are working.
“ I really see this as an opportunity for research to inform the implementation of policy by bringing in the voices of the population who have expertise, being participants in the Medicaid program,”Jarlenski said.
Doug Jacobs, chief innovation officer for DHS, said the goal is to study whether efforts to reduce disparities in medical assistance programs are working.
“We're really trying hard to reverse some of the inequities that have been present for generations. And I think measuring how we're doing with this grant is really an important piece of that,” Jacobs said.
The department is rolling out a program designed to ensure Medicaid managed care organizations provide equitable care for which researchers will interview Medicaid recipients of color.
State medical assistance programs cover 65% of births to Black women in the United States.
The results of the study will come at the end of the two-year grant period.