This month's blog includes news articles and reports that caught our eye this month, including several new reports about the impact of the child care crisis on families and on the workforce. We also highlight an article focused on some of the best and most innovative policy solutions from around the country to address the child care workforce shortage. We will be covering all of this and more at the 2022 Mom Congress Convention in September.
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In light of the Roe v. Wade overturn we are urging lawmakers to take strong and immediate action to support pregnant and postpartum women, infants, children and families through efforts like expanding access to adoption, food and housing security and counseling so expecting mothers feel safe and cared
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In May, the articles below emphasize the incredible challenges mothers have been facing. Though it can feel overwhelming, it also can feel validating that mothers are being heard, studied, and that the media is paying attention.
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In June, our team was invited to attend the Pregnancy in Nutrition Conference, hosted by the Moore Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University in D.C. This conference convened obstetricians, family medicine practitioners, midwives, dieticians, policy advocates, scientists, doulas, and more. Each discipline shared the most recent research on successful programs and necessary policies to address the challenges to proper nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy.
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The following letter was submitted to Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations Chairwoman DeGette and Ranking Member Griffith, on behalf of Mom Congress on May 23, 2022.
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An estimated 1 million+ children could benefit from the child care and early education proposal recently released by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) for inclusion in the federal budget reconciliation package. The new framework, which includes $72 billion in additional Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds, will provide direct support to children and families and build up the supply of child care, including by investing in the child care workforce.
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Here are the news articles and reports that caught our eye this month, including several new reports about how access to free or affordable child care can make all the difference in the world, to families and employers. Child care will be a big focus at Mom Congress 2022 this September.
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On March 28, the Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). Although this budget document is non-binding, it does represent key policy and programmatic priorities from the Administration.
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Here’s what you need to know about the federal budget and maternal mental health.
Last week, federal lawmakers in the House and Senate passed their overdue fiscal year (FY) 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022) spending package, and President Biden signed it into law. Notably, because a significant portion of healthcare funds were diverted to support Ukraine, funding levels for many mental health and maternal health programs were lower than expected based on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees’ proposals.
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PRESS RELEASE
2020 Mom has been awarded a significant two-year grant to support its Mom Congress project by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a philanthropic organization guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive. W.K. Kellogg Foundation recognizes that thriving children must have thriving mothers/caregivers caring for them and mothers should be supported and empowered in sharing their needs and stories.
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Recently, the U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor (DOL), and Health and Human Services (HHS) released their 2022 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) Report to Congress.
This report indicates that health insurers are failing to deliver parity for mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) coverage for their beneficiaries.
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On November 19, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Build Back Better Act (BBB) (H.R. 5376), which, in addition to including the Moms Matter Act (H.R. 909/S. 484), includes historic provisions investing in child care and early learning for our nation’s children. Higher quality and more affordable child care is crucial for mothers, as it reduces anxiety about children’s wellbeing as well as financial stressors.
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On December 8th, the House of Representatives passed 15 health-related bills, including a bill that Mom Congress has supported: the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R. 5487).
The SHINE for Autumn Act, led by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), would:
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On December 7th, Vice President Kamala Harris hosted the first-ever White House Maternal Health Day of Action. The Day of Action included a Summit that was composed of three panels, as well as a Call to Action, outlining steps the federal government will take to improve maternal health outcomes.
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The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) was the inception of the child tax credit (CTC), which was created to ease the financial burden to families with children. Over the years, the CTC has expanded from an upper- and middle-class benefit, to a tax benefit that lower-income families can claim. The CTC allows taxpayers to reduce their federal income liability up to $2,000 per child aged 0-16 years of age. In the event the value of the credit exceeds the amount of tax a family owes, the family may be eligible to receive a full or partial refund of the difference.
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Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion legislative package that aims to address social welfare. It will be considered by the Senate in the weeks ahead. In addition to critical maternal mental health legislation included in the package, several other provisions that impact moms are currently included in the package as well:
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It is well documented that pregnancy loss has a negative impact on maternal health, with increased depression and anxiety following a loss (Nynas et al, 2015; Farren et al, 2021; Neugebauer et al, 1997). It is important that mothers and their partners are given time to process and heal after experiencing a miscarriage, stillbirth, or unsuccessful adoption/surrogacy.
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According to a recent report from the United Health Foundation, maternal mortality increased by 16% between 2018 and 2019. Mental health and substance use issues continue to be major drivers of maternal mortality. The same report found that 18.1% of women ages 18-44 reported their mental health was “not good” 14 or more days in the past 30 days — equivalent to roughly 10.2 million women. Additionally, drug-related deaths in women increased by 24% in 2017-2019, compared to 2014-2016.
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On October 18, 2021, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), released nine fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) bill. Similar to the House Appropriations Committee, which passed their L-HHS funding bill over the summer, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommends increased funding for several mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs.
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Last week, the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R.5487) was introduced by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill aims to prevent stillbirth through better research and reporting on the topic. Specifically, the bill would:
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