President and CEO Mike Slubowski Urges Congressional Action to Expand Maternal Health Coverage

As Trinity Health works to improve the health of our patients and communities, improving maternal health outcomes is essential. In 2019, the national maternal mortality rate was 20.1 per 100,000 live births, the highest among developed countries. Racial and ethnic disparities exist between Black (44 deaths per 100,000 live births), white (17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births), and Hispanic women (12.6 deaths per 100,000 live births).

In 2020, there were more than 50,000 births across Trinity Health hospitals. We are committed to improving maternal health outcomes by addressing social influencers of health and providing care before, during, and after pregnancy. We have developed system-wide, standardized clinical initiatives on hypertension, sepsis, and hemorrhage management and have a current initiative to standardize venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention.

Holy Cross Health in Maryland formed the Maternity Partnership Program with the Montgomery County Department of Health to provide prenatal and post-delivery education and care to women, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Mount Carmel Health System in Ohio offers a Welcome Home Program which provides in-home visits to more than 20,000 postpartum moms and babies. The Breastfeeding Heritage & Pride Program at Trinity Health Of New England includes peer counselors who offer breastfeeding education and support to new moms in the Hartford, Conn. area. Trinity Health regularly shares best practice initiatives and recently developed this maternal health policy card.

Because Medicaid covers more than 40% of births in the United States, including more than 65% of births to Black and 59% of births to Hispanic women, Congress has the ability to quickly address this high mortality rate. Trinity Health applauds Congress for including a new option for states to extend the postpartum coverage period under Medicaid from 60 days following pregnancy to a full year in the American Rescue Plan Act. Data suggests that about 12% of pregnancy-related deaths occur after 6 weeks postpartum. We are encouraging the 25 states—in which we have a presence—to embrace this opportunity as a critical step toward reducing the mortality rate.

However, the new option to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage is only available to states for five years. Trinity Health urges Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act that would make this coverage expansion permanent, along with additional provisions to expand health coverage to the uninsured through the Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid.