Kaine Cosponsors Bill to Expand Maternal Health Care Options
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, cosponsored the Healthy Maternal and Obstetric Medicine (MOM) Act, legislation led by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that would expand health care options for expectant mothers. Certain life events, including marriage, divorce, giving birth or adopting a baby, and changing jobs, trigger a special enrollment period to enroll in health insurance outside of an insurer’s annual open enrollment period. Currently, becoming pregnant is not considered a qualifying event, meaning expectant mothers must wait until the birth of their child or an annual enrollment period to sign up for or change their coverage. The Healthy MOM Act would establish a special enrollment period for expectant mothers that are eligible for coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other private individual or group health plan coverage, ensuring that they can access affordable health care throughout their pregnancies.
“Access to high-quality health care before, during, and after pregnancy is crucial to prevent devastating outcomes for Virginia families,” said Kaine. “Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The Healthy MOM Act would improve maternal health outcomes, lower costs, and help expectant mothers and their babies get the care they need, so they can start happy, healthy lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,205 women in the United States died from pregnancy-related complications in 2021, up from 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women are about three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. Prenatal care leads to healthier mothers and babies. Data demonstrates expanding access to prenatal care could help prevent more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths. Without access to health insurance, expecting moms also face high out-of-pocket costs. The Healthy MOM Act would improve maternal health outcomes and lower costs by expanding access to high-quality care.
Specifically, the Healthy MOM Act would:
- Create a special enrollment period in the ACA marketplaces and private insurance plans for individuals when they become pregnant, allowing them to enroll in or change their health care plan;
- Enable the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to establish a special enrollment period for pregnancy for those eligible to receive coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. This enrollment period would still be available for families during a lapse in appropriation or government shutdown;
- Guarantee 12-months of continuous Medicaid eligibility for postpartum women. Kaine worked to pass legislation to make permanent the state option to provide 12 months of postpartum care for low-income women under Medicaid. This was a major expansion of maternal health care, as Medicaid previously provided postpartum coverage for only 60 days. Virginia was the first state to implement this expansion, and since then, most states have opted into this expansion of maternal care. The Healthy MOM Act would make the expansion a permanent fixture of Medicaid, so that women in every state have access to 12 months of postpartum care;
- Ensure comprehensive coverage of maternity care – including labor and delivery – for dependent children covered by group health plans and other forms of employer-sponsored coverage; and
- Protect existing income eligibility levels for pregnant women and infants covered by Medicaid, maintaining the highest standard of care for low-income pregnant individuals and infants.
Kaine has long supported efforts to address the maternal health crisis. Kaine introduced bipartisan legislation to promote maternal health and reduce racial inequities in maternal and infant mortality by strengthening support for women during and after pregnancy, expanding maternal health research and data collection, and ensuring women are better matched with birthing facilities that meet their specific needs. In May, Kaine introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which includes 13 bills that would combat the maternal health crisis, address racial inequities, and save moms’ lives. That legislation includes Kaine’s Maternal Vaccinations Act to increase maternal vaccination rates, particularly in communities with historically low rates of vaccination.
Companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives is led by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12).
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