Congress Members Urge HHS to Issue Guidance on Maternity Care Coverage for Dependents

Forty congressional members have written to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, urging the department to issue guidance requiring federally-funded and administered health insurers to cover all pregnancy and pregnancy-related services, including maternity care for dependents. The move comes as a response to the fact that current policies often exclude significant costs like labor and delivery, disproportionately impacting women of color. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) played a crucial role in expanding access to and improving the quality of insurance coverage for pregnant and birthing people, with the uninsured rate among new mothers decreasing by 41 percent between 2012-2013 and 2015-2016.

Key Takeaways:

• The letter, led by Representatives Eric Swalwell and Bonnie Watson Coleman, argues that excluding maternity care for dependents from insurance coverage is discriminatory and a violation of Section 1557 of the ACA.
• Pregnant people are often forced to pay out of pocket for routine tests and services, including chromosomal screenings and ultrasounds, as well as labor and delivery costs, which can be crippling.
• The average hospital bill for a vaginal delivery is $30,570, while those who undergo a C-section delivery cost $47,360 on average.
• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act only applies to employees and their spouses, but Section 1557 prohibits sex discrimination against all enrollees and beneficiaries.
• Black women are more than three times more likely to have a maternal death than white women in the United States.
• Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26 is associated with increased early prenatal care, more adequate prenatal care, and a lower rate of preterm birth.
• The National Women's Law Center, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and March of Dimes are supporting the letter.