Washington (CNN)Two Democratic lawmakers this week introduced legislation that would provide sweeping changes to Medicaid, which covers nearly half of all births in America, in order to improve maternal health outcomes and lower mortality rates among new mothers, particularly African-American women. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker introduced on Tuesday the Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services -- or MOMMIES -- Act in the Senate, while Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced the same bill, titled the Healthy MOMMIES Act, in the House on Wednesday. The legislation, which the lawmakers touted as "one of the most far-reaching proposals ever introduced in Congress to address maternal health," comes as politicians and health care groups look for ways to reduce the maternal mortality rate among African-American women, which is three or four times higher than it is for white women. The Senate bill could also benefit Booker, a 2020 presidential candidate, as he looks to gain support among African-American and women voters. The bill could find support in the Democrat-controlled House, but will find a harder path in the Republican-led Senate unless there's a massive bipartisan groundswell of support.Childbirth is killing black women in the US, and here's whyAmong other things, the MOMMIES Act would increase the Medicaid coverage window for new mothers from two months to a full year after they give birth; create a "Maternity Care Home demonstration project" in more than a dozen states to examine the effectiveness of the model, which shows "great promise in improving maternal health outcomes, as they are based on a model of care that is patient-centered, coordinated, and comprehensive"; and modify the "Affordable Care Act's primary care bump to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries have access to primary care providers, including women's health providers." The bill aims to specifically address the health disparity between African-American and white mothers by making sure "all pregnant and postpartum women have full Medicaid coverage, rather than coverage that can be limited to pregnancy-related services." Additionally, the bill would increase access to doulas, described by Booker's office as "support personnel who provide pregnant women with emotional, physical, and informational support." The care doulas provide has helped improve health outcomes for both mothers and infants, especially among women of color, according to the office.3 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in US are preventable, report says The legislation does not address how much the plan would cost, and the Congressional Budget Office hasn't released an estimate.The introduction of the Senate bill on Tuesday coincided with the release of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on maternal health that said from 2011 to 2015, there were a total of 3,410 pregnancy-related deaths in the US, consistent with known rates of about 700 deaths p
politics,Democratic lawmakers introduce legislation to improve maternal health,particularly for black mothers - CNNPolitics,
Washington (CNN)Two Democratic lawmakers this week introduced legislation that would provide sweeping changes to Medicaid, which covers nearly half of all births in America, in order to improve maternal health outcomes and lower mortality rates among new mothers, particularly African-American women. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker introduced on Tuesday the Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services -- or MOMMIES -- Act in the Senate, while Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced the same bill, titled the Healthy MOMMIES Act, in the House on Wednesday. The legislation, which the lawmakers touted as "one of the most far-reaching proposals ever introduced in Congress to address maternal health," comes as politicians and health care groups look for ways to reduce the maternal mortality rate among African-American women, which is three or four times higher than it is for white women. The Senate bill could also benefit Booker, a 2020 presidential candidate, as he looks to gain support among African-American and women voters. The bill could find support in the Democrat-controlled House, but will find a harder path in the Republican-led Senate unless there's a massive bipartisan groundswell of support.Childbirth is killing black women in the US, and here's whyAmong other things, the MOMMIES Act would increase the Medicaid coverage window for new mothers from two months to a full year after they give birth; create a "Maternity Care Home demonstration project" in more than a dozen states to examine the effectiveness of the model, which shows "great promise in improving maternal health outcomes, as they are based on a model of care that is patient-centered, coordinated, and comprehensive"; and modify the "Affordable Care Act's primary care bump to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries have access to primary care providers, including women's health providers." The bill aims to specifically address the health disparity between African-American and white mothers by making sure "all pregnant and postpartum women have full Medicaid coverage, rather than coverage that can be limited to pregnancy-related services." Additionally, the bill would increase access to doulas, described by Booker's office as "support personnel who provide pregnant women with emotional, physical, and informational support." The care doulas provide has helped improve health outcomes for both mothers and infants, especially among women of color, according to the office.3 in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in US are preventable, report says The legislation does not address how much the plan would cost, and the Congressional Budget Office hasn't released an estimate.The introduction of the Senate bill on Tuesday coincided with the release of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on maternal health that said from 2011 to 2015, there were a total of 3,410 pregnancy-related deaths in the US, consistent with known rates of about 700 deaths p
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