S. 3494 Maximizing Outcomes for Moms Through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services Act, or the “MOMMIES Act”

INTRODUCED BY SENATOR CORY BOOKER (D-NJ) – 09/25/2018

The MOMMIES Act includes six Medicaid-related strategies to maximize maternal and infant health outcomes. Specifically, it would:

  • Enhance CHIP and Medicaid coverage for pregnant women by extending it from 60 days to 365 days following childbirth.
  • Establish and evaluate a Maternity Care Home Demonstration Project. Maternity care home models use a team-based approach to provide a wide array of essential services from dental care and mental health counseling, to care navigation, lactation support, health education, and community-based doula support. This model of care integrates basic and specialty health care with care coordination and support services in a culturally-appropriate way to improve quality of care, improve birth outcomes, and provide continuity of care.
  • Increase Medicaid coverage of doula care by directing the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to report on the coverage of doula care under state Medicaid programs and create strategies to improve access. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) will issue recommendations and guidance to state Medicaid offices on steps they can take to increase coverage for doula care.
  • Expand Medicaid coverage to a full range of services rather than having coverage that can be limited to pregnancy-related services.
  • Increase Medicaid minimum reimbursement rates for maternal and obstetric services using established Medicare rates as benchmarks.
  • Increase access to maternity care through telemedicine by generating a report to congress on the current use of telemedicine by state Medicaid programs and expanding on existing efforts by providing adequate recommendations.

Co-sponsors: Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA)

Press Release