Reverse VBAC Bans
Barbara Stratton has been working hard to find a way to reverse VBAC bans both in her own state of Maryland as well as nationwide. VBAC bans are put in place when a hospital doesn’t have the staffing/facilities to meet recommendations that protect their liability — recommendations that many health care providers deem too strict and that deny thousands upon thousands of women a chance to have normal vaginal births after cesareans.
Barbara’s letter below explains how you can help reverse VBAC bans at hospitals near you.
Barbara writes:
One of the most promising approaches we have to reversing hospital VBAC bans nationwide is to file complaints through the Medicaid system and then appeal any denials to the federal level. If successful, all hospitals nationwide that receive Medicaid funding (most do) would be forced to reverse their VBAC bans. So far, I’ve only known of a single woman to file one of these complaints and she didn’t appeal the initial denial. We need to have these complaints come in from across the country from women willing to file and then appeal any denials.
You don’t have to receive or have received Medicaid in the past in order to file a complaint. The only qualifying factor is that you live near a VBAC-banning hospital and want to see that ban reversed!
Simply call the hospital and verify that they receive Medicaid funding. Then ask for the contact info for the Chief Compliance Officer for Medicaid. I can e-mail you a letter template that just requires you to insert your info plus the compliance officer’s info. Print it out, mail it in and you are done.
See how easy that is? Please e-mail me directly if you are interested.
Thanks,
Barbara Stratton
womancareadoula@comcast.net