Attorney General Mark R. Herring has joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging Congress to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021.
The legislation is aimed at combatting the high Black maternal mortality rate and increasing access to maternal and perinatal care.
Herring and his colleagues are highlighting the need to advance health equity across the country for all racial and ethnic minorities – especially Black mothers. The group sent a letter to Congressional leadership calling on Congress to pass H.R. 959, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, which addresses the social determinants of the Black maternal mortality crisis, including improving access to housing, transportation and nutrition services.
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 is co-sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and other members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus.
“Too often in Virginia and around the country, Black mothers face systemic inequalities in our healthcare system and lack access to even the most basic healthcare services, that can sadly lead to a much higher mortality rate,” Herring said. “No mother should be treated differently or provided different standards of healthcare because of what they look like. I will continue to fight for equal access to quality, affordable healthcare for all women and work to remedy the disparities in our current system.”
The Momnibus is intended to help decrease maternal mortality among Black mothers, who die at a rate three to four times higher than white mothers. Similarly, Native American, Asian-American and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic women are more likely to face maternal mortality than white women and non-Hispanic women.
As the White House announced on April 13, “quality, equitable healthcare is a right, not a privilege.” However, many risk factors play into increased rates of maternal mortality, including preexisting conditions, socioeconomic status, lack of health insurance, and implicit bias and discrimination in health care.
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 addresses maternal mortality by ensuring women have access to equitable care at all stages of pregnancy. The legislative package is comprised of 12 bills that address the crisis through a multifaceted approach of increased grant funding, enhanced data collection and improving community programs.
By specifically addressing the social determinants of health, the package aims to reduce maternal mortality by providing funding to community-based maternal health organizations; diversifying the perinatal workforce; supporting mothers and improving maternal health care for individuals with mental health conditions, substance abuse disorders, and those who are incarcerated; enhancing postpartum care; and promoting maternal health innovation such as telehealth, maternal vaccinations, and payment options from pregnancy through the postpartum period.
If passed, the policy changes would benefit individual state programs by increasing funding, furthering access to community supports and enhancing education services for mothers.
More broadly, the legislation would assist state attorneys general in working to protect residents against race-based discrimination within the health care system.
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