03/30/1993 01:38 PM Senate L&C

  SENATOR KELLY announced  SB 91 MEDICAID COVERAGE  OF MIDWIFE                 
  SERVICES to be up for consideration.                                         
                                                                               
  MARILYN  HOLMES, Consumers  of  Midwifery,  said  she  chose                 
  midwifery from all of the options available to  her, because                 
  she thought it was the best care she could have.  She quoted                 
  an article from  REASON MAGAZINE that supported her view and                 
  which said midwifery is a wave of the future.                                
                                                                               
  MS. HOLMES  explained that  midwifery is  a sustained,  high                 
  quality,  individualized system  for birth.    It emphasizes                 
  health  for  the  mother.     She  noted  that  America  has                 
  shockingly high incidence of infant mortality.  She said use                 
  of this  method reduces health  care costs,  because of  the                 
  individualized   attention   and  because   the  traditional                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
  obstetric method forces a doctor, because of insurance, etc.                 
  to  use  technologies which  cost  a  lot and  lead  to more                 
  caesarians. Midwives have a caesarian section rate 50% - 70%                 
  lower   than   physician  attended   births   in  comparable                 
  populations.                                                                 
                                                                               
  SENATOR LEMAN, sponsor, said he would answer questions.                      
                                                                               
  SENATOR  SALO asked if  in the Senate  HESS Committee didn't                 
  they just put  direct entry midwives onto the medicaid list?                 
  The title of SB 91 said  they should reorder the priority of                 
  optional services.  SENATOR LEMAN  said that is correct  and                 
  this places the direct entry midwives first in case there is                 
  a  shortage of funds.   It doesn't  change any of  the other                 
  orders.  It doesn't bump anybody else.                                       
  SUSAN KIGGINS,  Anchorage, supported SB  91.   She said  she                 
  would  like  the choice  to  decide  who  would deliver  her                 
  children and where.                                                          
                                                                               
  JAY (Indistinct), Anchorage, supported SB 91.                                
                                                                               
  SENATOR  SALO moved  to pass  CS SSSB91 from  Committee with                 
  individual recommendations.  There were no objections and it                 
  was so ordered.