Address the maternal mortality crisis

How Kamala Harris would address the maternal mortality crisis

By BRIANNA EHLEY

Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled her proposal to tackle the worsening maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. and address deep racial disparities in care across the country. Harris' proposal highlights the fact that African American women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications compared to their white counterparts — and not just among poor women, according to the CDC.

What would the plan do?
The California Democrat attempts to address gaps and racial bias in maternal care and identify women at risk of pregnancy-related complications. It would invest new money for training at medical and nursing schools and provide new moms with resources and increase access to care. The plan updates her legislation that stalled last year in Congress and was released by her Senate office, not her presidential campaign.

How would it work?
Harris proposes to create a new $25 million program aimed at fighting racial bias in maternal care by directing grants to medical schools, nursing schools and other training programs intended to improve care for African American women. The proposal also calls for $125 million to create demonstration projects that will create incentives for providers to deliver integrated health services to pregnant women and new mothers and reduce maternal deaths, pregnancy-related complications and racial health disparities in care. Harris’s plan would also ask the National Academy of Medicine to study and make recommendations on how to incorporate bias recognition into clinical skills testing.

What are the flaws in the proposal?
The proposal focuses specifically on health disparities among black women and doesn’t address disparities among other minority populations like American Indians who are also at a significantly higher risk of pregnancy-related deaths than white women.

What does it cost?
$150 million

What have other Democrats proposed?
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) sponsored a bill that extends Medicaid coverage to new mothers for up to a year postpartum. Currently, Medicaid covers new moms up to 60 days. Booker’s plan also encourages Medicaid to cover community-based doula services for underserved communities.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y) along with Booker and Harris also have a bill that would direct funding to states and hospitals to develop standardized best practices to prevent and respond to pregnancy-related complications.

Who would it help?
Maternal mortality rates are on the rise in the United States. Harris's plan specifically benefits African American women who have significantly higher maternal mortality rates than white women. The CDC recently estimated about 700 women die every year in the U.S. from pregnancy-related complications — and about 60 percent of them were preventable.

Who opposes it?
No Democrat has opposed this proposal so far.