New Orleans brings back house calls to check on new moms and babies

When it comes to the health of new moms and babies, Louisiana has struggled for a long time. New Orleans is trying to tackle the problem, and they’re returning to an old-fashioned medical practice: the house call.

Although postpartum home visits have been tried elsewhere, what’s happening now in New Orleans makes this intervention crucial: Louisiana has been called “the least healthy” state for moms and babies. And it has one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S.

A Republican state lawmaker has now passed a law to require private insurance to cover these home visits all over the state, saying it’s a “truly pro-life” move. But will state officials also agree to pay for this under Medicaid?

WWNO's Rosemary Westwood reports.