The following is a brief summary of a bill Kamala Harris introduced as a Senator, addressing a real, but largely undiscussed problem of maternal health risks including maternal mortality. The US has had unenviable rates of maternal mortality in various health care and food sourcing deserts throughout the country.
"In her previous role as U.S. Senator for California, Harris introduced the Maternal CARE Act and the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which would direct multi-agency efforts to improve maternal health, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups, veterans, and other vulnerable populations as well as maternal health issues related to COVID-19.
The vice president's prior work on maternal and infant health care was a key component of the Build Back Better Act, passed in 2022. The legislation expands access to maternal care and makes new investments to drive down mortality and morbidity rates."
This law (see attached summary) addresses a real problem. And, for conservative leaning folks who feel this is just another liberal idea, most of the maternal health concerns are in rural areas of so called "red states." In these areas, the US ranks lower than many countries. A key reason is the distance to drive to get access to better health care, better food choices and better paying jobs.
I would be interested to see longitudinal data in a couple of years to see if the investment made a difference.
Click to access Build%20Back%20Better%20Act%20Momnibus%20Investments.pdf
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