Sanders announces bill aimed at maternal health care
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Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday announced legislation targeted at improving health outcomes for moms and babies.
Why it matters: Arkansas has some of the worst maternal health care outcomes in the nation, including the highest rate of pregnancy and postpartum-related deaths.
The big picture: The Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act includes regulatory changes and incentives for more and better maternal health care providers to practice in Arkansas, Sanders said during a news conference. It is designed to improve outcomes especially among low-income women.
The bill includes Medicaid reforms like:
- Coverage for doula and community health care worker services.
- Presumptive eligibility, meaning pregnant patients can receive prenatal care while they're still applying for Medicaid.
- Increasing reimbursements for deliveries and C-sections by 70%, which Sanders said is intended to encourage more health care providers to participate in Medicaid.
- Coverage for remote blood pressure monitoring, glucose monitors and remote ultrasounds.
- Coverage for up to 14 office visits during and after pregnancy.
Stunning stat: Of the roughly 35,000 pregnancies in Arkansas each year, about 10,000 aren't seen by a doctor until after the first trimester. About 1,100 patients don't see a doctor until they are in labor, Sanders said.
- "This reform is aimed at those women," she said of the coverage for office visits.
Context: A recent study by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found that Arkansas mothers who live in rural areas and/or who have a Medicaid-covered birth are less likely to receive early prenatal care or receive an adequate number of prenatal care visits, according to a UAMS news release.
- Black and Pacific Islander patients were less likely to receive care than white patients.
By the numbers: The plan is to invest about $45 million a year in maternal health, according to the governor's office.
Background: Sanders put together a committee tasked with finding ways to improve maternal health. The committee released its report last year with 24 recommendations, which included changes like expanding Medicaid coverage.
- Pearl McElfish, director of the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, has told Axios that access to doulas and community health workers is shown to benefit low-income patients the most, but they have the least access.
- She also said that increasing remote health services is likely to improve outcomes in a rural state where many people don't live near their health care providers.
What's next: The bill's lead sponsors are Sen. Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View) and Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville). We'll keep an eye on it as it moves through the legislature.