Pass the Moms Matter Act
Recommendation
Congress should pass the Moms Matter Act, which establishes grant programs to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders during or after pregnancy, with a focus on racial and ethnic minority groups.[1][2][3]
Background/summary
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country.[4][5][6] Mental health and substance use disorders are one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death,[6][7][8] and are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, impacting 800,000 women annually.[9] Low-income, Black, and other marginalized families are disproportionately affected.[10][11] Significantly, Black women experience maternal death at a rate 2.5 times higher than white women.[11]
The bipartisan Moms Matter Act, one of the thirteen bills within the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act,[4][12] would invest in programs supporting moms with maternal health conditions and substance use disorders and provide critical funding to grow and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health workforce.[1][2][3] It would make critical investments in the social determinants of health, including housing, transportation, and nutrition, that contribute to high maternal mortality among Black women, Veterans, incarcerated people, Native Americans, and other people of color.
citations
1. Moms Matter Act. H.R. 3312 (Blunt Rochester) and S. 1602 (Gillibrand), 118th Congress (2023-2024). Last Accessed June 19, 2023.
2. Following Mother’s Day, Blunt Rochester, Fitzpatrick, Underwood Introduce Bipartisan Moms Matter Act to Help Address America’s Maternal Health Crisis as Part of Momnibus Package (Press Release). Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. Last Updated May 15, 2023.
3. Blunt Rochester, Lisa. The Moms Matter Act. Last Updated May 15, 2023.
4. Black Maternal Health Caucus. Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (Bill Summary). Last Accessed June 19, 2023.
5. The Commonwealth Fund. Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries. Last Updated November 18, 2020.
6. National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). NAMI: Medicaid Coverage for Maternal Mental Health. Last Accessed June 19, 2023.
7. Building U.S. Capacity to Review and Prevent Maternal Deaths. Report from nine maternal mortality review committees. Last Updated 2018.
8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four in 5 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable (Press Release). Last Updated September 19, 2022.
9. March of Dimes. Federal Funding Priorities FY2024. Last Accessed June 19, 2023.
10. CLASP. Maternal Depression and Young Adult Mental Health: Policy Agenda for Systems that Support Mental Health and Wellness. Last Updated February 2018.
11. U.S. Government Accountability Office. Maternal Health: Outcomes Worsened and Disparities Persisted During the Pandemic. Last Updated October 19, 2022.
12. Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. H.R. 3305 (Underwood) and S. 1606 (Booker), 118th Congress (2023-2024). Last Accessed June 19, 2023.