Two new laws signed by Gov. Jon Corzine and sponsored by state Assembly members from Hudson County revamp the way obstetricians and nurses/midwives are paid and permit them to certify qualified pregnant women for disability benefits.
The new laws represent an effort to promote a woman’s greater access to health services. The measures were signed by the governor on Aug. 12 at a Newark community health center.
One law (A-2539) requires health insurance companies to pay maternity service providers throughout the course of a pregnancy. Before the law was enacted, obstetricians and midwives were forced to wait until after a child was born before they could be compensated for thousands of dollars in medical care by insurance companies. The law was sponsored by Caridad Rodriguez and Ruben Ramos (both D-33rd Dist.). It will be effective as of Sept. 1, 2010.
No longer waiting to be paid
“Asking medical professionals to go without pay for almost a year borders on absurd,” said Ramos. “Allowing them to be paid on an ongoing basis is a much more equitable and fair way to handle maternity services coverage.”
“Asking medical professionals to go without pay for almost a year borders on absurd.” – Assemblyman Ruben Ramos
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Although Dr. Rita Knause, an obstetrician in West New York, agrees that the legislation is a positive move for health care providers of maternity services, she is unsure if that is the only reason why New Jersey maternity professionals choose to leave the state.
“I think it’s a good idea, but I don’t think that the payment and the lack of payment is really the issue as to why OBs are leaving,” said Knause. “I think the problem is the ridiculously high insurance premiums for malpractice insurance.”
According to Knause, malpractice insurance for an obstetrician costs between $12,000 and $96,000 a year if not more, depending on whether a doctor encounters malpractice lawsuits throughout their career.
“That’s a lot to have to pay every year,” she said.
Midwives get more power
Another bill signed into law on the same day expands the scope of a nurse midwife’s authority by allowing them to sign off on temporary disability cases.
The state allows pregnant women who meet certain requirements to request temporary disability benefits four weeks before they give birth and up to six weeks after the delivery date. A health professional can certify a need for an extension in disability benefits if the woman has a C-section or complications due to the pregnancy.
The benefit amount depends on a woman’s average weekly earnings. Typically, a woman who receives disability benefits due to pregnancy is paid two thirds her average weekly salary, up to $546 a week.
Dr. Knause said that process involves paperwork that must be signed by doctors. Giving more maternity professionals the ability to sign off on that paperwork can improve overall care for patients.
“I think if they can manage the patient through their delivery, they deserve be able to tell when they would need to be on disability,” said Knause.
The bill for that law (A-3110) was sponsored by Rodriguez and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainier Huttle (D-37th), who noted that some women under the care of a nurse midwife may otherwise have been required to go to the emergency room to see a doctor to sign the paperwork.
For more information on applying for temporary disability benefits for pregnancy, visit the website of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development at: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/tdi/worker/state/sp_pregnancy.html
Melissa Rappaport may be reached at mrappaport@hudsonreporter.com