On Thursday, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the introduction of new legislation aimed at improving maternal health outcomes in the state. The proposed bill, known as the “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act,” seeks to provide additional financial support for pregnant mothers. Senator Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View), the bill’s Senate sponsor, emphasized the importance of the legislation, stating, “Unbundling and increasing payments for prenatal, delivery and postpartum care is necessary, way past due and will make a huge impact in stabilizing our healthcare access for expecting mothers.” She added, “I look forward to presenting this plan of action to prioritize and improve maternal health in Arkansas.”
The bill’s House sponsor, Representative Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville), explained that the bill restructures fundamental provisions for mothers, saying, “The Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act strengthens maternal care in Arkansas by unbundling the global payment, increasing provider reimbursements, and expanding access to telemedicine. This bill also improves pregnancy outcomes by empowering community health workers and ensuring Medicaid coverage for expectant mothers.”
In addition, the legislation unbundles Medicaid payments for pregnancy care, covering up to 14 prenatal and postnatal care visits. This change is designed to encourage providers to work more closely with pregnant women to ensure they attend necessary appointments. It also increases Medicaid’s investment in pregnant women by $12.2 million. Governor Sanders further announced that Medicaid will increase reimbursements for both traditional deliveries and C-sections by 70%, which will contribute an additional $25.7 million to care for pregnant women. This change is intended to encourage more healthcare providers to participate in the Medicaid program, ultimately increasing access to care.
However, the bill does not extend postpartum coverage for 12 months following birth. Governor Sanders has previously stated that other options, beyond Medicaid, are available to provide this level of coverage.
Multiple government reports have indicated that Arkansas ranks poorly in terms of maternal and infant mortality.
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