Vice President Announces Call to Action to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
On Dec. 7, the White House issued a statement in which Vice President Kamala Harris announced a call to action to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.
The statement says that “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have long championed policies to improve maternal health and equity, and addressing the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis is a key priority of their Administration. America’s maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the developed world, and they are especially high among Black women and Native American women, regardless of their income or education levels. On behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration, Vice President Harris is issuing a nationwide Call to Action to both the public and private sectors to help improve health outcomes for parents and infants in the United States.”
That said, “Today marks the first-ever White House Maternal Health Day of Action. In addition to substantial investments proposed in the Build Back Better Act, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new commitments to support safe pregnancies and childbirth, and reduce complications and mortality in the year following birth.”
According to the statement, the Administration will:
- Build Back Better: The Build Back Better Act includes a $3 billion investment in maternal health
- Encourage states to expand postpartum coverage: CMS is releasing new guidance to help states provide 12 months of continuous postpartum coverage through their Medicaid programs—up from 60 days
- Report on the impact of postpartum coverage: HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is releasing a new report showing the impact of state extensions of Medicaid postpartum coverage to 12 months
- Create a new designation of the quality of maternal health services for hospitals in the U.S.: CMS is planning to propose the establishment of a “Birthing-Friendly” hospital designation
The statement adds that “Once passed, the Build Back Better Act’s maternal health provisions will:
- Invest over $3 billion in new maternal health funding, with transformative new investments in growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, improving data collection and maternal health risk monitoring, addressing the social factors that contribute to poor maternal health outcomes, addressing substance use disorders that impact maternal health, promoting increased maternal health research, improving postpartum coverage, and better coordinating care.
- Require all states to provide continuous Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum, eliminating potentially deadly gaps in health insurance at a critical time for individuals. Currently, states are only required to provide coverage for 60 days postpartum, despite research showing that many deaths and complications occur more than 60 days following delivery.
- Spark innovation by allowing states to establish maternal health homes to better coordinate health care for individuals before, during, and following birth.”
Further, “The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation in the world. Every year, people in the United States die of pregnancy-related causes at more than double the rate among nations with similar levels of income. Maternal mortality statistics in the United States have actually worsened over the past 20 years, even as rates among peer nations have generally improved. In addition, each year, tens of thousands of mothers experience severe morbidity—unintended consequences of pregnancy that result in life-altering health challenges, such as severe heart issues, hemorrhages, seizures, and blood infections.”
