Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) will introduce a bill on Wednesday to address the high rate of maternal mortality in the U.S., particularly among black women, by expanding access to health care for pregnant women and new mothers.
Pressley’s bill, which is a companion to a similar Senate bill led by Sen. Cory Booker , would extend Medicaid coverage for women for up to a year after giving birth, rather than current limits of up to 60 days under the Social Security Act.
The U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate among all developed countries. And the risk of pregnancy-related deaths is three to four times higher for black women than for white women, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The legislation would also require an independent advisory board to Congress to issue a report on Medicaid’s coverage of doula care under its state programs, with recommendations on how to increase access to doulas. Studies have shown that the use of doulas ― or a trained person on-hand before and during a woman’s labor to provide emotional support and advocacy ― can improve health outcomes for women, particularly for those from marginalized groups.
— Rep Ayanna Pressley April 11, 2019 Booker first introduced the bill in the Senate last year and then reintroduced it on Tuesday, his staff said. His Senate bill was co-sponsored fellow 2020 presidential contenders Kirsten Gillibrand , Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren . The issue of maternal mortality, and specifically of black women facing disproportionately high rates of pregnancy-related complications and death, has begun to gain wider attention among lawmakers and the public in recent years. The issue has also gained recent exposure from tennis star Serena Williams and singer Beyoncé, who have both publicly discussed the difficulties and complications they faced in childbirth.
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