Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Address Maternal Mortality

Tuesday, June 4th, 2024 -- 10:00 AM

(Natalie Eilbert and Madison Lammert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) When the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team examines the state’s pregnancy-related deaths, the cause is, more often than not, behavioral health conditions. In such cases, every death is preventable.  

According to Natalie Eilbert and Madison Lammert with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it’s an ongoing crisis that often goes unspoken. Between 2016 and 2017, more than half of all Wisconsin pregnancy-related deaths were the result of mental health conditions, including suicide, substance use disorders and overdoses.

It’s not just a problem in Wisconsin. Each year, 38 states across the United States, including Wisconsin, submit maternal mortality data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, overwhelmingly, each year, mental health conditions are the most common underlying.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, say Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee. “Right now we’re really coming up short in terms of supporting the mental health needs of new and expecting mothers, and we’re seeing the impacts,” Baldwin said.

That’s why, along with other federal Democratic lawmakers, they’ve introduced the federal bill called the Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable (MAMA) Act. This prospective legislation aims to expand access to services for mental health and substance use disorders during pregnancy and postpartum.

The Mental Health and MAMA Act would remove copayments, coinsurance and deductibles for pregnant and postpartum patients seeking services for mental health and substance use disorders up to one year following childbirth.

The bill applies only to specific types of insurance, commercial and governmental insurance plans, including Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), that already cover such services.

The bill does not require insurance companies that don’t already do so to add behavioral health coverage, Moore said. It builds off continuity of care requirements outlined in the No Surprises Act, enacted in 2020 by Congress.

That law protects pregnant patients covered under group and individual health plans from getting surprise medical bills, which could happen if an insurer removes a pregnant patient’s current provider from their network. But the timeframe for these protections is limited.

The Mental Health and MAMA Act would extend it to one year postpartum. Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows the No. 1 reason why people do not seek mental health treatment is cost.

Wisconsin-specific data backs that up, with half of the state's mothers reporting they're impacted by financial insecurity.

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