AHIP has submitted a statement to the House Ways and Means Committee for a May 16, 2019 hearing focusing on racial disparities and social determinants in the maternal mortality crisis.
Our statement provides information on the efforts health insurance providers are undertaking to cover and improve maternity care, including our industry’s work to address disparities in care. Key points highlighted by our statement include:
- Health insurance providers are committed to ensuring that their enrollees receive high-quality care during pregnancy, childbirth and after delivery. As part of that commitment, health insurance providers are addressing the social determinants of health that may lead to disparities in care.
- Health insurance providers are increasingly conscious of the racial disparities in birth outcomes and their implications for maternal health. Recognizing these disparities, our members are working collaboratively with provider partners to deliver culturally competent care and to utilize state of the art research and analytics to identify potentially high-risk pregnancies.
- Health insurance providers recognize that early interventions and pre-natal and post-partum care can improve health outcomes for expectant mothers and reduce or avoid the long-term complications and high costs associated with high-risk births. Many insurance providers offer targeted programs to engage and assist women with resources before, during and after pregnancy to improve health and identify possible risks. This may include access to nurse helplines, educational materials, referrals to prenatal classes, connections to support programs (e.g., WIC), wellness resources, health coaching, and breastfeeding support.