Medicaid and pregnant women: who is being enrolled and when.

Medicaid eligibility expansions and improved enrollment procedures for pregnant women during the late 1980s are examined in this article. Results show that the number of births financed by Medicaid has increased dramatically, and that women are enrolling earlier in the course of pregnancy. Nevertheless, problems continue to exist. If substantial numbers of women continue to enroll late in pregnancy, the expansions may not promote significantly earlier use of prenatal care.