Georgia lawmaker: Newly approved test could identify mothers at risk of pregnancy-related death • Alabama Reflector
This story originally appeared in the Georgia Recorder.
A recently approved biomarker test can help determine which patients are at highest risk for preeclampsia, one of the leading causes of maternal death in Georgia.
Proponents of the test tout it as a life-saving tool that takes the guesswork out of identifying patients suffering from a hypertensive disorder that occurs exclusively during and after pregnancy.
However, access to the test may still be limited, in part because it is a relatively new procedure in the US. The US Food and Drug Administration approved biomarker tests for preeclampsia last year, although the test has been used in Europe for nearly a decade.
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Georgia state lawmakers passed a bill last year requiring comprehensive biomarker testing, but Rep. Darlene Taylor, who herself suffers from preeclampsia, introduced a bill earlier this year that would have specifically required all health insurance plans in Georgia to cover biomarker testing for preeclampsia.
That proposal ultimately did not advance, but Taylor, who chairs the Health Services Spending Committee, said she made sure to include funding in the budget for testing those on Medicaid. According to KFF Health News, nearly half of all births in Georgia are covered by Medicaid.
“I was shocked at the number of women who told me they had it. If left untreated, it can be fatal to the mother, but it can also harm the baby,” the Thomasville Republican said in an interview. “That’s why I think it’s very important to do it.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said that they are currently working on offering the tests to civil servants as well.
“While private payers may have determined that the preeclampsia biomarker test is still in the investigational phase, our partners in the Georgia legislature have made this coverage commitment under the state’s Medicaid program,” said David Graves, the agency’s communications director. “The state is currently evaluating a path for this coverage under the state’s health benefit plan.”
Jesse Weathington, president and CEO of the Georgia Association of Health Plans, confirmed Friday that the test among private insurers is still considered experimental for now, but he said that could change as research progresses.
“We’re going to stick with the science, and if that changes and some of these (industry) groups find it effective, I think we’ll see a change in policy,” Weathington said.
From 2018 to 2020, Georgia had 30.2 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the most recent available report from the Georgia Committee on Maternal Mortality. That’s an increase of about 20% from the previous three-year period, when the rate was 25.1. Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women.
Of the 113 pregnancy-related deaths during those three years, about 90 percent could have been prevented with some probability, according to the committee’s report published last year. The 10 deaths attributed to pre-eclampsia or eclampsia were all classified as preventable.
Taylor argues that the test also saves the government and insurers money in the long run by intervening when needed and preventing more advanced conditions such as strokes.
Republican House Representative Sharon Cooper of Marietta, who chairs the House Public Health Committee that pushed Taylor’s bill, said she views the predictive test as a medical breakthrough.
“It will be a lifesaver,” Cooper said.
“More important today than ever”
The test isn’t for everyone, but in situations where a patient is a candidate, it can be an effective tool, says Dr. Padmashree Chaudhury Woodham, professor of maternal and child medicine at Wellstar Medical College of Georgia Health.
This is particularly true because maternal mortality rates have increased, for example because women are having children later and obesity rates are increasing.
“I don’t want to scare people, but facts are facts, and I want people to understand why this type of screening is more important now than ever before,” said Woodham, who is also a member of the committee studying maternal mortality.
Better identifying which patients need intervention could benefit a woman’s health throughout her life and potentially reduce the risk of further cardiovascular disease and the need for additional costly medical treatments later in life, Woodham said.
In addition, the test results can save others the inconvenience and expense of unnecessary hospitalization and preterm births, which often result in premature births and a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The test is available to patients who are expecting a baby and are at least 23 weeks pregnant. In addition, it is currently only approved for inpatients, which means that women are likely to already be showing symptoms of the disease and the patient must already have been diagnosed with hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.
Woodham says the test is more accurate than the standard clinical measurements currently used to guide medical staff.
“This test does a true triage of patients to determine who is going to get sicker over the next two weeks. This then helps the doctor decide how intensively the patient needs to be monitored,” Woodham said.
Woodham said they test patients about two to three times a week at Wellstar MCG Health. The company is in the process of acquiring the equipment to do the testing in-house. She said that number will likely increase as awareness of the new test increases.
About 16 percent of all pregnant women nationwide have some form of hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, and up to half of them subsequently develop preeclampsia, Woodham said.
“I think the biggest obstacle right now is that it’s such a new test in the United States that many doctors just don’t know about the test,” Woodham said.
Woodham said she encourages patients to ask their obstetrician about the test and whether they are a candidate.
Empowering mothers
The availability of the test in the USA is long overdue, says Katherine Sylvester.
Sylvester, who lives in Macon, Georgia, experienced preeclampsia after the birth of her second child in 2020. The diagnosis was made when her midwife noticed that Sylvester’s blood pressure was elevated, although not within normal range.
Her personal experiences inspired her to start an organization called Operation MIST, which uses smartwatches to monitor women’s health data from pregnancy through the first year after birth. Her program is based on lifestyle changes to prevent problems before they occur and correct course over time.
Sylvester, a physical therapist and doula, said the biomarker test could help mothers improve their situation, although she doesn’t know anyone who has taken the test yet.
“The more we know, the more we can do,” she said. “And I also think that sometimes we know more and still do nothing. But I think if we at least have access to that, providers can help mothers make better choices and mothers can make better choices.”
However, Sylvester said she also hopes the testing will help mothers get the support they need.
“I think the biomarker tests give us more information so that we – whether it’s the health care system or our family, our community, churches, people who want to volunteer, or nonprofit organizations – can support mothers who need that support.”
Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. Georgia Recorder maintains its editorial independence. If you have any questions, contact Editor John McCosh: (email protected). Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.
