Senate Appropriations Committee Recommends Increased Funding for Maternal Health and Mental Health Programs

October 18, 2021 by Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS in POLICY

On October 18, 2021, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), released nine fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) bill. Similar to the House Appropriations Committee, which passed their L-HHS funding bill over the summer, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommends increased funding for several mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs.

SHINE for Autumn Act: A Bill to Improve Research and Education on Stillbirth

October 18, 2021 by Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS in POLICY

Last week, the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R.5487) was introduced by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill aims to prevent stillbirth through better research and reporting on the topic. Specifically, the bill would:

Federal Government Addresses Maternal Health—Including MMH—in a New Report

August 28, 2021 by Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS in POLICY

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity among Rural Populations

Earlier this year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government oversight and assessment office, released a report titled, Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Additional Efforts Needed to Assess Program Data for Rural and Underserved Areas.

Federal Policies to Support the Maternal Health of Our Nation’s Servicemembers

June 25, 2021 by 2020 Mom in POLICY

There are approximately 230,000 active-duty women and nearly two million women veterans in the United States. Over 500,000 women veterans are under 40 years of age, underscoring the importance of implementing federal policies that support this growing population. To meet the needs of this demographic, Congress succeeded in passing two maternal health bills, the Military Moms Mental Health Assessment Act and the TRICARE Coverage for Doula Support Act within the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This year, the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee recently announced their markup schedule for the 2022 NDAA, with the U.S. Senate following in the fall. Continuing to build on the success last year, there are several bills to watch that have the potential to make it across the finish line this year.