Our Senators need to support critical legislation to address our nation’s
maternal health crisis
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]SIGN NOW
Dear Friend,
BREAKING WIN!
Just last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Helping MOMS
Act, an important piece of legislation that extends Medicaid to a full 12
months postpartum!
[ [link removed] ]**Now that the Helping Moms Act is out of the U.S. House, we need your
voice to encourage your U.S. Senators to support this bill as well as
other important maternal health legislation. Sign now!
[link removed]
Especially during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must continue to
fight to save the lives of Black birthing moms. [1] Too many lives are
being lost. Just this past April, 26-year-old Amber Isaac, was admitted to
a hospital in the Bronx with a severely low platelet count. She tweeted on
April 17th that she couldn’t wait to share her experience “dealing with
incompetent doctors.” Amber never got to share her story, she died on
April 21, just after giving birth to her son. [ [link removed] ] Amber isn’t alone.
Sha-Asia Washington died at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, where she had
been admitted for a routine stress test. Doctors were able to deliver her
baby via c-section, but Washington was pronounced dead after 45 minutes of
CPR. [ [link removed] ]
The deaths of these mothers are unacceptable. Their lives matter. Their
stories matter. Moms should go home and watch their children and families
thrive. If we’re going to save our moms, we need everyone to be a part of
the solution.
Bills like the Black Maternal Health Momnibus packet and the Helping Moms
Act will help us to do this and set up the foundation we need to ensure we
have healthy, thriving moms and families.
To recap, the Helping Moms Act would incentivize states to extend Medicaid
to cover the entire postpartum period and also invest in maternal health.
The majority of pregnancy-related deaths in America happen after the day
of delivery, and nearly one-quarter of deaths happen more than six weeks
postpartum. [ [link removed] ] Yet, despite the life-threatening risks that women face in
the postpartum period, Medicaid currently only covers women for two months
after the birth of their baby. [ [link removed] ] Extending Medicaid coverage would be a
crucial lifeline and lifesaver for many birthing people and their babies.
[ [link removed] ].
Currently, the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in
the developed world, [ [link removed] ] with major racial disparities where Black women
die at 3 to 4 times the rate of white women due to maternity-related
causes, independent of age, economic background, or education. [ [link removed] ]
[2]**Add your name to our open letter to the U.S. Senate to urge them to
support critical legislation to address our nation’s maternal health
crisis
This bill, along with the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, are critical
pieces of legislation that would address the racial disparity crisis in
our nation’s maternal health outcomes.
It is important to note that the Helping Moms Act is a first step in
addressing our nation’s maternal mortality crisis. [ [link removed] ] As outlined in a
letter to Congress signed by leading groups in the maternal health space,
Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Community
Catalyst, Every Mother Counts, Families USA, March for Moms, National
Birth Equity Collaborative, and the National Medical Association, the
present iteration of the bill does not provide an increase in the federal
matching rate, which would facilitate states’ adoption of this coverage
extension opportunity. [ [link removed] ] As Covid-19 ravages state budgets, this
increase is vital to support the ability of statewide Medicaid plans to
effectively provide this much-needed coverage option. [ [link removed] ]
We join these organizations to urge the passing of the Helping Moms Act,
while also recognizing that this is the beginning of the work we must do
to achieve maternal health equity.
[3]**Sign our petition! Tell your U.S Senator to address our nation’s
maternal health crisis!
Thank you so much for being a powerful voice for the health of moms. We
couldn't have gotten this far without you.
-Nadia, Monifa, Kristin, and the whole [4]MomsRising/[5]MamasConPoder team
[1] [6]Rolling Stone. Death of Sha-Asia Washington, Pregnant 26-Year-Old
Black Woman, Highlights Devastating Trend.
[2] [7]Vox. America is failing Black moms during the pandemic.
[3] [8]Patch.com. Mural To Honor Pregnant Woman Who Died At Bed-Stuy
Hospital
[4][5] [9]Underwood’s Bipartisan Legislation to Address America’s Maternal
Mortality Crisis Passes the Energy and Commerce Committee.
[6] [10]Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds.
[7] [11]NBC News. U.S. is the most dangerous place to give birth in the
developed world.
[8] [ [link removed] ]US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. The
Black-White Disparity in Pregnancy-Related Mortality From 5 Conditions:
Differences in Prevalence and Case-Fatality Rates.
[9][10][11] [ [link removed] ]The Helping Moms Act is a Good Start, But Not Enough.
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