State Maternal Mental Health Legislation - 2022
By The 2020 Mom Policy Team
In the mid 2010s, 2020 Mom spearheaded the passage of the largest maternal mental health state policy package to date in California. Since that time, 2020 Mom has also been tracking state legislation across the U.S.
In 2022, 8 states passed legislation addressing maternal mental health, and one state governor released an awareness resolution.
The chart below highlights by category, the state laws addressing maternal mental health that were passed in 2022.
State MMH Laws that Passed in 2022
The details are as follows:
California passed two bills in 2022 to further maternal health:
ACR 120 proclaimed January 23, 2022, as Maternal Health Awareness Day, and includes substantive language around maternal mental health. The resolution was passed “to draw attention to the efforts that have improved maternal health in California and to highlight the need for continued improvement of maternal health for all pregnant people.”
SB 1207 extends the deadline for health insurers to establish maternal mental health programs to July 1, 2023, and requires the plans to include quality measures to encourage screening, diagnosis, treatment, and referral and implement quality improvement programs to improve screening, treatment, and referral to maternal mental health services, incentivize training opportunities for contracting obstetric providers, and educate enrollees and insureds about the program. The bill also strongly encourages private insurers to include doulas in their provider networks (the state’s Medicaid program already requires doula coverage).
Connecticut passed HB 5500 in 2022, which:
Required the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee to develop educational materials regarding (1) the health and safety of pregnant and postpartum persons with mental health disorders, including, but not limited to, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, for distribution by the Department of Public Health to each birthing hospital in the state (2) Evidence-based screening tools for screening patients for intimate partner violence, peripartum mood disorders and substance use disorder for distribution by the Department of Public Health to obstetricians and other health care providers who practice obstetrics.
Required birthing hospitals provide each postpartum patient with the educational materials about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders developed by the maternal mortality review committee.
Called on the Governor to proclaim the month of May of each year as Maternal Mental Health Month and May 5th of each year Maternal Mental Health Day.
New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona also addressed awareness of MMH through resolutions or proclamations
New Mexico declared February 14th, 2022 “Fourth Trimester Care Day” through HM 4 to increase attention to the mental and physical complications of pregnancy.
Utah declared May 2022, as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month through a Governor's Proclamation.
Arizona passed HR 2014, declaring May 2022 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month.
Maine passed LD 1357 in 2022, which requires private insurers to cover postpartum care “including coverage for development of a postpartum care plan; contact with the patient within 3 weeks of the end of pregnancy; a comprehensive postpartum visit, including a full assessment of the patient's physical, social and psychological well-being; treatment of complications of pregnancy and childbirth, including pelvic floor disorders and postpartum depression; assessment of risk factors for cardiovascular disease; and care related to pregnancy loss.”
Louisiana, Nebraska, and New York passed legislation in 2022 to improve screening for maternal mental health disorders.
Louisiana passed HB 784, which requires healthcare providers who are providing pediatric care to screen for postpartum depression and other maternal mental health disorders. It also aims to develop network adequacy standards for providers and identify the providers who specialize in maternal mental health.
Nebraska passed LB 905, which calls for perinatal mental health screenings by medical doctors and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and requires the creation of a referral network to develop policies and materials for perinatal mental health.
New York passed S 7753, which requires the office of mental health and the department of health to study the disparate impacts regarding postpartum depression screening tests and to prepare and submit recommendations to the governor and Congress.
The Policy Center is working to advance strong maternal mental health policy in more states. We provide technical assistance to state legislators and train state-based non-profits through our Nonprofit State Policy Fellows program in developing a foundation for regulatory and statutory policy change to close gaps in maternal mental health in their states. We have also developed model state legislation, which these nonprofits are working to introduce and pass.
If you are aware of a maternal mental health law that we missed, please drop us a line at info@PolicyCenterMMH.org.