Alan Weil Editor-in-Chief, Health Affairs Victor J. Dzau, President, National Academy of Medicine, Senator William H. First, former U.S Senate Majority Leader, and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of HHS under President Obama, opened the Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2021 virtual event held on March 11, 2021.
According to Alan Weil, “The Vital Directions Project will set a course and agenda to help the administration and others understand the opportunities and priorities in health, healthcare, and biomedicine going forward in the coming years.”
The event sponsored by the National Academy of Medicine and Health Affairs emphasized the need to continue the adoption of virtual care, deal with health equities in the population, transform mental health care, deal more effectively with disease threats, and develop ways to combat maternal mortality and morbidity especially for moms and babies of color.
On an average, maternal mortality claims the lives of about 700 American moms each year. Plus, an additional 70,000 women suffer near fatal health complications but even more dire is the fact that 60% of these deaths could have been prevented.
Panelist Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL) https://underwood.house.gov announced that along with Representatives Alma Adams and Senator Cory Booker, and members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, was introduced in February.
Representative Underwood mentioned how the legislation builds on existing maternal health legislation such as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus of 2020 along with 12 bills that comprehensively address the drivers of the maternal health crisis.
The Momnibus Act of 2021 would make critical investments to address SDOH, fund community-based organizations, study health risks especially for veterans, grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, improve the data collection process, support moms with maternal mental health issues, support incarcerated moms, invest in digital tools like telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas, promote innovative payment models, address the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on maternal and infant health, and lastly promote maternal vaccinations.
Recently, another piece of legislation the MOMMA Act was introduced spearheaded by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). The Act seeks to reduce America’s rising maternal and infant mortality rate, especially for moms and babies of color who are significantly more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy.
The MOMMA Act would establish national obstetric emergency protocols through a federal expert committee, disseminate best shared practices, standardize data collection and reporting, improve access to culturally competent care, provide guidance and options for states to adopt and pay for doula support, expand Medicaid coverage to new mon’s entire post-partum period for one year.
To address Medicaid coverage, The January 2021 Health Affairs Blog discusses Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Benefits to Combat Maternal Mortality and Morbidity. In the U.S. postpartum visits with maternity care providers, which occurs between two and six weeks after delivery, marks the end of formal maternity care support within the healthcare system.
The Health Affairs blog points out that while more than 20 states have introduced proposals to extend postpartum Medicaid eligibility beyond 60 days, but less attention has been paid to Medicaid’s postpartum maternity benefits.
The blog emphasizes that since low-income and racial minority populations carry much of the burden for poor maternal health outcomes in the U.S., there is the vital need to address Medicaid gaps in the postpartum period so that maternal health for the most vulnerable will improve.