Title
BOH RESOLUTION #2018-24 TO SUPPORT THE MAXIMIZING OUTCOMES FOR MOMS THROUGH MEDICAID IMPROVEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF SERVICES ACT (MOMMIES ACT)
Body
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, yet women living here are more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth than most other developed nations. The Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services Act
(MOMMIES Act) is a proposed senate bill, introduced on September 25, 2018, that aims to improve health outcomes, access to care, and health equity for women and infants in the United States.
The MOMMIES Act would extend Medicaid coverage from the current 60 days postpartum to 365 days, bolster maternity home programs, and take steps toward increasing access to doula care for pregnant women receiving Medicaid. These elements address the significant racial inequities in infant mortality in Wisconsin and Dane County. In both our state and county, infants born to African American mothers are nearly three times as likely to die within their first year of life compared to infants born to White mothers.
In 2016, Medicaid funded 36% of all births in Wisconsin, 51% of which were to women of color. In Dane County, Medicaid funded 24% of births (nearly 1,500) in 2016, with 63% of these births being to women of color. By expanding Medicaid coverage for pregnant and postpartum women, the MOMMIES Act would take an important step towards addressing a key public health issue, the racial and income inequities in maternal health outcomes in Dane County, Wisconsin, and the U.S.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Health for Madison and Dane County, on behalf of Public Health-Madison and Dane County, endorses the proposed MOMMIES Act, which aligns with PHMDC’s “Healthy Beginnings” objective of supporting maternal health.
Drafted by: Lauren Biro, Stephanie Lindsley, Rachel Kulikoff, ...
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