Saying it is imperative that the state do much more to improve its dismal maternal and infant health outcomes, the Kentucky House Democratic Women’s Caucus will be filing the bulk of more than 30 bills this week that would provide much-needed help to new mothers and infants alike. It’s the women caucus’ third legislative session presenting these bills as part of a multi-faceted package.
“It is beyond tragic that pregnancy-related deaths in this country have more than doubled in the last 30 years, and Kentucky’s rate is among the worst in a country whose national average is at the bottom of industrialized nations,” said state Representative Lisa Willner of Louisville, who chairs the women’s caucus. “About 700 pregnant people die annually in our country due to pregnancy-related causes, with a third of those during pregnancy, another third during labor or the first week postpartum and the remaining third in the year that follows.”
“Our bills tackle all three in ways that would give those who are or have been pregnant and their children the level of care they need and deserve.” Rep. Willner added. “We can’t afford to ignore the mental health impact of pregnancy-related risks and concerns, or that pregnant people and babies who are Black are at much higher risk than their white counterparts.”
“I am doubly proud to support these bills, both as a legislator and as a pregnant person,” said state Rep. Lindsey Burke of Lexington. “These bills offer real-world solutions that can be implemented quickly and affordably, and they would do so much to improve outcomes for families across the state.”
“Given the significant gains we have made in medicine and public health in recent decades, the health-related issues surrounding pregnancy should be improving, and yet that hasn’t been that case for a long, long time,” said state Rep. Rachel Roarx of Louisville. “I’m proud to work with my fellow legislators to reverse this trend as much as possible, and hope this collective effort can serve as the model for other states to follow.”
More than 20 of the bills would expand healthcare coverage through Medicaid and private insurance or change tax policy. Those include eliminating the sales tax on such things as diapers, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies and feminine-hygiene products; requiring Medicaid to cover doulas and midwives in the birthing process; calling on health insurers to pay for medically required baby formula; and having the state and private health insurance companies expand coverage for prenatal care and contraceptives and to include pregnancy as a qualifying event so healthcare coverage for those expecting can begin long before childbirth.
Several bills focus on postpartum care. Some would increase public and private healthcare access for new mothers, including those who have a miscarriage in the third trimester or lose a child; and another calls on all hospitals and birthing centers to provide new mothers information on maternal depression and how to access available resources.
Another proposal would require all public and private health insurers to cover any FDA-approved prescription drugs that treat postpartum disorders. A separate bill would have a child’s insurer reimburse costs for parental or guardian depression screening during well-child visits up to age five, and another would expand the state’s longstanding HANDS program to screen first-time parents for maternal and postpartum depression.
Other bills would modernize workplace policies.
One would have the state and private companies expand their medical-leave policies to include employees coping with a third-trimester miscarriage or the death of a child.
Companies with 50 or more employees, meanwhile, would also have to provide 12 weeks of paid medical leave to new parents, a well-established benefit in many other countries, and another bill would make it possible for all employees across the state to earn paid sick leave.
The caucus’ proposals would establish a new legislative committee – the Infant Mortality Task Force, to further study the underlying causes in these cases – and create the Kentucky Child Mental Health Services Access Program, so primary care physicians would be able to quickly connect with professionals able to treat their young patients’ mental illness or intellectual disabilities.
Legislation has also been filed to close substantial racial disparities in maternal and infant care; declare March as “Kentucky Maternal and Infant Mortality and Disparities Awareness Month”; and provide more aid to those incarcerated who are either pregnant or have recently given birth.
Two women who would benefit from the legislative package offered their support for the bills.
“The House Democrats’ proposed maternal and reproductive health legislation would enable tens of thousands of Kentuckians to have access to life-saving, essential healthcare services and products,” said Elizabeth Gribbins of Louisville, who in high school was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and whose treatment required hormonal birth control.
That’s why, she said, she supported the bill requiring health insurers to cover a 12-month supply of birth control. If it becomes law, it would “lower unintended pregnancy rates and help people with medical conditions like mine to easily and inexpensively access critical medication. I support this proposal, along with the other reproductive and maternal health bills, and you should too—for a better Kentucky.”
Jenni Hitt of Murray spoke about the pain of losing a pregnancy in 2018.
“I was in emotional and physical agony,” she said, “and none of my doctors provided me with support for postpartum depression or the pain of losing my pregnancy. They sent me on my way and didn’t look back. We need stronger support for miscarriage care in Kentucky, not dismissal.”
The bills included in the Kentucky House Democratic Women’s Caucus’ maternal and infant health package will now be considered by the General Assembly during the ongoing legislative session, which ends next month.
Legislative Research Commission