FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A bipartisan group of women serving in the Kentucky House of Representatives want to do something about Kentucky's maternal death rate.
"Our Commonwealth grapples with a severe maternal health crisis, witnessing alarming statistics. The state's maternal mortality rate is the second highest in the nation, and we know that 60% of them could be avoided," Rep. Kim Moser said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Moser filed the Save Kentucky Moms Act (HB 10), which is nicknamed the "Momnibus Bill," on Wednesday.
"HB 10 is a major step in that direction and brings together existing resources and programs for a more comprehensive approach," said Moser.
How will the bill save lives?
It includes provisions that tackle insurance, health care, substance use, and parental education:
- Adds pregnancy to the list of qualifying life events for the purpose of health insurance coverage. This will allow women to adjust their coverage for additional healthcare needs. This provides incentives to seek prenatal care.
- Provides mental health consultation and access to care through the Lifeline for Moms Psychiatry Access Program. This hotline provides real-time psychiatric consultation and care coordination for health care providers.
- Expands the HANDS program to include lactation counseling and assistance, education on safe sleep, and research on the role of doulas in the birth experience. This program is a voluntary home visitation program for new or expectant parents.
- Strengthens an existing advisory council to provide ongoing policy guidance to increase collaboration, improve data collection, and suggest additional improvements.
Maternal mortality is defined as a death during pregnancy or up to a year afterward. Common causes include excessive bleeding, infection, heart disease, suicide and drug overdose.
The bill drew support from women lawmakers in both parties who stood at Moser’s side during the kickoff event for the measure.
“Most of us are parents and most of us recognize the need for strengthening our families, strengthening our health care overall and, of course, giving our newest citizens, our newborns, the best start in life that we can,” Moser said. “So I would say it’s been very well received.”
The bill’s appeal was evident by the bipartisan gathering of lawmakers who represented a spectrum of political views, Democratic Rep. Sarah Stalker said. It reflected the widespread commitment to combat the state’s “abysmal maternal health outcomes,” she said. And defining pregnancy as a qualifying life event for health insurance coverage is critical to reducing those death rates, she said.
“We know that ensuring early access to prenatal care is the best upstream method approach to bringing our maternal mortality rates down,” Stalker said.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
