Today is Policy Day of Black Maternal Health Week, so let’s talk about a few policies we should implement to improve maternal health care for Black pregnant people. Here’s a to-do list for policymakers on this year’s BMHW: ✔️ Expand Medicaid to 12 months postpartum in all 50 states: Dr. Jessica Pineda of Brown University found that “Black mothers are twice as likely to experience maternal mental health conditions but half as likely to receive treatment compared to White mothers.” Expanding Medicaid could help expand access to vital mental health services for conditions like postpartum depression. ✔️ Expand Medicaid to cover doula and midwife care: OB-GYN Dr. Dawn Owens Robinson said “Doulas save lives,” and the data proves it. Doulas help reduce disparities in Black maternal health care, and shouldn’t just be a privilege for the wealthy. ✔️ Protect reproductive rights: Black women living in states where abortion access is restricted face disproportionate risks from unintended pregnancies. Access to the full spectrum of reproductive care is important for maternal health overall.
Rebecca Ofrane
8mo
Glad to see NJ has checked all these boxes, but still so much more to do!
Ashleigh Evans
8mo
I also think allotting federal funding for midwifery preceptors, like we do physician preceptors, would help. Federal legislation barring hospitals from refusing to work with birth centers or homebirth midwives would also be helpful. We also need legislative help with insurance covering homebirths. The number of black families who’ve opted for homebirths more than doubled from 2016 to 2022, and that will continue to increase. 😊
Executive Director at WAWC Healthcare (formerly WEST ALABAMA WOMEN'S CENTER INC.)
8moCould “presumptive eligibility for Medicaid for pregnant people” be added, please? Here in Alabama more than 30% of Black women aren’t getting prenatal care in the first trimester, primarily because they can’t get into Medicaid without a doctor verification of pregnancy letter, but no doctors will see them because they are uninsured. This process is adding literal months to the process of a first appointment, which delays any treatment of potential underlying conditions like STIs, high blood pressure or diabetes. At West Alabama Women’s Center we provide all of this care for free for the uninsured so nothing is delayed, but we are just one small clinic in a very massive healthcare desert.