To: Tim Kaine

From: Jenna Witte, Richmond VA

Date: 30 March 2019
Subject: S. 116 Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards Act of 2019 (MOMS Act)

Though our nation is the world’s leader in healthcare, the provisions and care afforded to
American mothers falls short. The United States ranks 46th in global maternal death rates
(“Country Comparison: Maternal Mortality Rate, 2015). I am a mom of three and I support S.
116 Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards (MOMS) Act of 2019 because mothers like me
deserve adequately funded programs concerning maternal health, wellbeing, and the ability to
survive childbirth and raise our children.

The most common maternal morbidities-turned-fatalities are conditions that are easily managed
by modern medicine and a well-supplied obstetric team, including obesity, hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes (Campbell, et al., 2013).
Unfortunately, some moms do not receive proper obstetric care, pregnancy information, or
illness management education due to socioeconomic status, geographical location, and other
factors limiting access to quality healthcare.

 From 1987 to 2014 in the United States, the maternal mortality rate multiplied 2.5 times
("Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System", 2018) while the birth rate only increased
1.042 times in just as many years ("Births in the U.S. 1990-2017", 2019).
 Low-income women and mothers using Medicaid experience a disproportionately high
maternal death rate (Campbell, et al., 2013). Mothers of color are dying at an alarmingly
high rate. For every 100,000 births in 2011, 40.0 black mothers died compared to 12.4
white mothers ("Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System", 2018).
 Federal funding trends suggest infant and child health is more important than maternal
health. 78% of federal-state program block grants is geared towards the care of infants
and children; only 6% is dedicated to the care of their mothers (Martin, 2017).
 Medicaid pays for nearly half of all births in the United States. It covers care for the
infant one full year past their date of birth, but only two months of postpartum care for
the mother (Martin, 2017).

Recommendation: Vote to pass bill S. 116 Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards Act of
2019 (MOMS Act). By establishing a properly funded program to improve maternal safety and
outcomes and by implementing “safety bundles,” as this bill proposes, organizations can
research, manage, and even prevent maternal morbidities as well as decrease the rate of maternal
mortality. This is not just a matter of health care; this is about caring for humanity. Moms are
arguably the most important people in the world because none of us would be here without them.

I support S. 116 Modernizing Obstetric Medicine Standards Act of 2019 (MOMS Act) because
this legislation will bring us one step closer to improving pregnancy and postpartum safety and
to becoming the world’s leader in obstetric care. Our nation’s mothers deserve it.
 References

Births in the U.S. 1990-2017. (2019). Retrieved March 30, 2019, from

https://www.statista.com/statistics/195908/number-of-births-in-the-united-states-since-

1990/

Campbell, K. H., Savitz, D., Werner, E. F., Pettker, C. M., Goffman, D., Chazotte, C., &

Lipkind, H. S. (2013). Maternal Morbidity and Risk of Death at Delivery

Hospitalization. Obstetrics & Gynecology,122(3), 627-633.

doi:10.1097/aog.0b013e3182a06f4e

COUNTRY COMPARISON: MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE. (2015). Retrieved March 30,

2019, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-

factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html

Martin, N. (2017, March 12). The Last Person You'd Expect to Die in Childbirth. Retrieved

March 31, 2019, from https://www.propublica.org/article/die-in-childbirth-maternal-

death-rate-health-care-system

Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System. (2018). Retrieved March 30, 2019, from

https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pregnancy-mortality-

surveillance-system.html