In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, CMS shares recent work and resources focused on advancing equity in obstetric outcomes.

The state has extended postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months through the state plan authority established by the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021.

Currently, 26 states have extended Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum.

The document outlines five priority goals to improve maternal health and outcomes and, for each, actions the federal government will take.

America's Essential Hospitals commented on several policy proposals of interest to essential hospitals and responded to requests for information on maternal health, equity, and climate change.

CMS on May 25 approved proposals in four states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year after birth.

The proposed rule includes numerous policy and payment changes for Medicare’s Inpatient Prospective Payment System for fiscal year 2023, including a 3.2 percent increase in inpatient payment rates.

The House-passed bill does not allocate additional COVID-19 relief for providers on the front lines of the pandemic. An initial version of the legislation included $15.6 billion in COVID-19 related spending — a scaled-back version of the $22.5 billion requested by the Biden administration.

As part of Vice President Kamala Harris' call to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, a Department of Health and Human Services report highlights the impact of extending postpartum Medicaid coverage. In addition, CMS intends to propose a "Birthing-Friendly" hospital designation.

Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the first federal Maternal Health Day of Action. Coinciding with the event, America's Essential Hospitals announced 12 member hospitals will participate in a new CVS Health Foundation–funded learning collaborative to improve maternal health.

The House voted 220–213 to pass the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act. It contains essential hospital priorities related to Medicaid, maternal health, and the health care workforce but also includes harmful cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital and uncompensated care pool payments.

The waiver makes Illinois the first state to provide continuity of full Medicaid benefit coverage for mothers by extending eligibility during the entire first year after delivery.

The next phase of the Maternal and Infant Health Initiative (MIHI) includes a new focus on postpartum care visits, well-child visits, and decreasing rates of cesarean-section births in low-risk pregnancies. A work group developed a set of recommendations and a report on next steps for the MIHI.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a detailed action plan on maternal health and announced a public-private partnership to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. The surgeon general simultaneously announced a call to action to improve maternal health, complementing HHS' plan.