Biden-Harris Admin Proposed Blueprint to Address Maternal Health Crisis Includes Brown Legislation

A Link to the Biden-Harris Administration's Fact Sheet on this Plan can be Found HERE

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the Biden-Harris administration's Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, a plan to address and combat maternal mortality and morbidity, which would reduce the long-lasting disparities in maternal health, and improve overall pregnancy outcomes for people across Ohio and the country. One of the recommendations included in the Administration's Blueprint is to require all states to provide continuous Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum, an effort that Brown has championed for years. Currently, states are only required to provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage for 60 days postpartum, with the option to extend to a full year.

"In the wake of the radical SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever to address the discrimination that still exists in our health care system, and the many barriers to care that so many in our community face," said Brown. "We know we need to do more, and that means reducing racial disparities in our healthcare system, supporting women of color so they may have safer, healthier pregnancies, and improving health care for communities that are too often overlooked. I look forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to deliver for mothers across Ohio."

The Biden-Harris administration's blueprint prioritizes the following:

• Increasing access to and coverage of comprehensive high-quality maternal health services, including behavioral health services.
• Ensuring women giving birth are heard and are decisionmakers in accountable systems of care.
• Advancing data collection, standardization, harmonization, transparency, and research.
• Expanding and diversifying the perinatal workforce.
• Strengthening economic and social supports for people before, during, and after pregnancy.

Brown has long fought for legislation to better support expectant mothers and prioritize their maternal health.

In May, Brown introduced the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would protect pregnant workers and ensure employers accommodate their health on the job.

In November 2021, Brown led his Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Healthy Maternal and Obstetric Medicine (Healthy MOM) Act, legislation that would expand healthcare options for expectant mothers. Brown's bill would ensure all people eligible for coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces, as well as those eligible for other individual or group health plan coverage, can access affordable health coverage throughout their pregnancies. The bill would do this by establishing a special enrollment period (SEP) for expectant mothers and extending Medicaid coverage for new moms, thus removing key barriers that often prevent mothers from accessing the care they need leading up to and after birth.

In June 2021, Brown joined U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty (OH-3) and 164 additional members of Congress in urging House and Senate Leadership to prioritize policies to address the U.S. maternal health crisis in the next coronavirus recovery package. The members are pushing for the inclusion of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, of which Brown is an original cosponsor,and a permanent expansion of yearlong postpartum Medicaid coverage. The members emphasized that these policies are necessary investments to save lives, advance health equity, and affirm the fundamental principle that in America, every family has a right to thrive-a principle that begins with a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth.

In March 2021, Brown led legislation to combat Black maternal mortality and reduce the maternal mortality rate across Ohio. Nationally, African American mothers die at nearly three times the rate of white mothers.

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