Our Senators need to support critical legislation to address our nation’s maternal health crisis 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!

**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! https://action.momsrising.org/sign/BMHC_Momnibus/?t=11&akid=14419%2E2840598%2EI-B3tM

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. [2] 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. [3]

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. [4] 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. [5] Extending Medicaid coverage would be a crucial lifeline and lifesaver for many birthing people and their babies. [6].

Currently, the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world, [7] 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. [8]

**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. [9] 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. [10] 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. [11]

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.

**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 MomsRising/MamasConPoder team

[1] Rolling Stone. Death of Sha-Asia Washington, Pregnant 26-Year-Old Black Woman, Highlights Devastating Trend.

[2] Vox. America is failing Black moms during the pandemic.

[3] Patch.com. Mural To Honor Pregnant Woman Who Died At Bed-Stuy Hospital 

[4][5] Underwood’s Bipartisan Legislation to Address America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis Passes the Energy and Commerce Committee.

[6] Nearly Half Of U.S. Births Are Covered By Medicaid, Study Finds.

[7] NBC News. U.S. is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world.

[8] 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] The Helping Moms Act is a Good Start, But Not Enough.

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