Washington, D.C. – Ted L. Anderson, MD, PhD, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), issued the following statement regarding the vote out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on H.R. 4995 and H.R. 4996: 

“ACOG applauds the House Energy and Commerce Committee for advancing H.R. 4995 and H.R. 4996. The committee took a giant step toward eliminating preventable maternal deaths with these two critically important bills that will improve maternal health outcomes and build upon legislation passed last year.

“These bills include ACOG’s top legislative priorities in the “Momnibus,” a collection of U.S. House and Senate bills aimed at addressing the maternal mortality crisis. Specifically, H.R. 4995 and H.R. 4996 will 

• help hospitals and maternity care providers implement clinically proven best practices,
• incentivize states to continue Medicaid or CHIP coverage for women for one year after delivery,
• increase access to maternity care in rural and underserved areas,
• work to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health, and
• provide support for perinatal quality collaboratives.

“Typically, women lose Medicaid coverage 60 days after delivery. This legislation would help ensure that moms receive care beyond that period for serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, postpartum depression, and opioid use, and close a huge gap in women’s health coverage during a time in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show one-third of preventable maternal deaths occur.

"ACOG is very appreciative of House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Greg Walden; Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo and Ranking Member Michael Burgess, MD, FACOG; and Representatives Robin Kelly, Larry Bucshon, MD, Eliot Engel, and many more. It’s notable that the committee members are working across the aisle to deliver solutions to the nation’s maternal mortality crisis. We applaud their work and look forward to collaborating with all members of Congress to bring these bills to the floor of the House and Senate.”

To learn more about recent state action to extend Medicaid coverage to pregnant women for a year after delivery, view ACOG’s map.