Off to a Better Start

Gov. George Deukmejian has just signed important legislation that should help give thousands of infants a healthier start in life. The new law says that pregnant women whose families earn too little to afford proper medical care but too much to qualify for state aid now can receive that help. It is a compassionate move.

The governor has also been applauded by public hospital officials for signing bills that mend other holes in the state’s health-care system. One measure, sponsored by Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles), provides $50 million in state and federal money to shore up emergency-care systems. The other measure, by Sen. Ken Maddy (R-Fresno) and Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno), helps hospitals that care for a disproportionate number of poor people in their out-patient services.

Next on the agenda must come vigorous implementation of prenatal-care legislation. Local health workers who screen women for the MediCal program must be trained to recognize newly eligible applicants, and women must be informed of the increased eligibility. Until now, an estimated 36,000 women in California hadn’t been getting prenatal care and so often give birth to babies who weigh too little to thrive or are otherwise handicapped. Now 20,000 to 25,000 of them will receive this vital care.

The measure was the product of a truly bipartisan effort. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) and David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), with an assist from Assemblyman John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara). The bill was backed by the California Children’s Lobby and was based on a report by the Southern California Child Health Network. Final agreement was made possible because legislators and health officials in the Deukmejian Administration worked together.

There is one more measure that the governor could sign that would speed this care to pregnant women. AB 3963, sponsored by Assemblyman Terry B. Friedman (D-Tarzana), would simplify the Medi-Cal application form, which is nine pages long. The government doesn’t need that much information, and checking takes valuable time in which pregnant women aren’t getting care when they need it.

California ranks low on the list of states that provide women with adequate prenatal care. These measures should improve that deplorable situation.