Maternal Health Bills Inspired by Booker’s MOMMIES Act Passes House Subcommittee 

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The House Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health today passed legislation to improve maternal health outcomes that was partly based upon Booker’s bicameral MOMMIES Act, which he introduced with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) in May. Booker issued the below statement:

“Today’s Subcommittee passage of maternal health bills is a long awaited step in the right direction to address the pressing public health crisis facing mothers, particularly mothers of color and mothers from low-income backgrounds. By enhancing Medicaid’s maternal health coverage, this legislation would reduce disparities, increase access to high-quality care, and improve health outcomes for all mothers. I commend my House colleagues for taking up this pressing issue and am hopeful that the Senate will follow their lead.”

Between 2000 and 2014, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. increased by 26 percent, while it decreased in nearly every other country. And stark disparities in maternal deaths exist, as black women are nearly four times as likely to die from childbirth complications as white women. Additionally, for every woman who dies due to a pregnancy-related complication, dozens more suffer from unexpected outcomes from pregnancy that result in both short- and long-term consequences to a woman’s health.

Booker re-introduced the Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services (MOMMIES) Act with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) in May 2019. In the Senate, the bill was cosponsored by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

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