House Joint Resolution (HJR) 656 of the 1999 Session of the General Assembly directed the Joint Commission on Health Care to examine Virginia Medicaid and the state employee health benefit reimbursement policies for obstetrical care. This resolution is shown in Appendix A. Specifically, HJR 656 directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to: (i) assess the needs and problems of each medical school's obstetrical and family practice training programs and (ii) request the assistance of and confer with the Virginia Academy of Family Physicians, the Virginia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Nurse Midwives, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the Department of Personnel and Training, and the State Health Department.

This report is composed of three sections. This section briefly discusses the authority for the study and its organization. The second section discusses background on obstetrical care in the Commonwealth. The third section discusses policy options.