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Standing with Moms Act
12/29/2022, 6:18 PM
Summary of Bill HR 8384
One of the key provisions of the Standing with Moms Act is the establishment of a grant program to support state and local efforts to improve maternal health care. This includes funding for initiatives such as expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care, increasing the availability of mental health services for pregnant and postpartum women, and implementing strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.
The bill also seeks to improve data collection and reporting on maternal health outcomes, with the goal of identifying disparities and trends in maternal mortality and morbidity. This information will be used to inform policy decisions and interventions aimed at reducing maternal health disparities and improving outcomes for all women. Additionally, the Standing with Moms Act includes provisions to support healthcare providers in delivering high-quality maternal health care, such as training programs and resources to improve the quality of care provided to pregnant and postpartum women. Overall, the Standing with Moms Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation aimed at addressing the maternal health crisis in the United States and improving outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women. By focusing on data collection, grant programs, and support for healthcare providers, the bill seeks to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates and ensure that all women have access to high-quality maternal health care.
Congressional Summary of HR 8384
Standing with Moms Act
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to disseminate information about pregnancy-related resources.
Specifically, HHS must maintain a public website (life.gov) that lists such resources that are available through federal, state, and local governments and private entities.
Additionally, HHS must maintain on its website a portal that provides a user, based on the user's responses to a series of questions, tailored information about pregnancy resources available in the user's zip code and risks related to abortion. HHS must develop a plan to conduct follow-up outreach to users of the portal (if the user consents to the outreach). States must recommend resources that meet criteria set by HHS for including through the portal. HHS may award grants to states to establish or support a system that aggregates resources to include on the portal.
Further, the Health Resources and Services Administration must share information about life.gov and the portal through the Maternal Mental Health Hotline.
HHS must also ensure that the life.gov website and hotline are available to families who speak languages other than English.
The bill excludes from life.gov, the portal, and the hotline resources provided by entities that (1) perform, induce, refer for, or counsel in favor of abortions; or (2) financially support such entities.
The bill also requires HHS to report on traffic to life.gov and the portal, gaps in services available to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and related matters.
