Sens. Cardin, Senators Introduce Bill to Enhance Maternal Health Coverage Under Medicaid, Improve Health Outcomes for New Moms
The bill, the Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services (MOMMIES) Act, would enhance coverage for pregnant women covered by Medicaid - which covers nearly half of all births in
Each year, an estimated 700 to 900 women nationwide now die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. The maternal mortality rate in
"With the rate of maternal mortality in
"As the rest of the world works to improve maternal health outcomes, skyrocketing maternal mortality rates here in
"It's completely unacceptable that
"
"Inadequate or inaccessible health care is a major contributor to a maternal mortality rate in
"
Between 2000 and 2014 the maternal mortality rate in
Specifically, the MOMMIES Act would improve maternal health outcomes by:
* Extending Medicaid coverage for postpartum women to a full year after giving birth, rather than the current limit of 60 days that many women face
* Ensuring that all pregnant and postpartum women have full Medicaid coverage, rather than coverage that can be limited to pregnancy-related services
* Establishing a maternity care home demonstration project to study this innovative model of care in several states
* Extending the Affordable Care Act's primary care bump to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries have access to primary care providers, including women's health providers
* Encouraging increased access to doula care to provide pregnant women on Medicaid with emotional, physical, and informational support
* Studying telemedicine and its effectiveness and potential to improve Medicaid beneficiaries' access to maternity care
The MOMMIES Act has been endorsed by the following organizations:
Black Women's Health Imperative
Every
In Our Own Voice
March of Dimes
MomsRising
National Health Law Program
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