Newhouse sponsors bill to support new and expecting moms in rural areas

Healthcare access and outcomes for new and expecting mothers living in America’s rural communities would be improved under newly introduced bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA). 

“Rural moms deserve the same standard of care as their urban counterparts,” the congressman said, “and this bill will make that a reality.”

The Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act, also known as the Rural MOMS Act, H.R. 769, was introduced by Rep. Newhouse on Feb. 3 with lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne (D-IA). The legislation would amend the Public Health Service Act to improve obstetric care in rural areas, according to the congressional record bill summary.

“The alarming maternal mortality rates among rural and minority women is persistent and tragic, but in the 21st century, it can and must be fixed,” said Rep. Newhouse. “From advancing and rewarding innovative data reporting efforts to expanding access to maternal telehealth services and providing training to better equip healthcare professionals to serve these women, this legislation takes concrete steps to address the root causes of this problem.”

If enacted, H.R. 769 would create Rural Maternal and Obstetric Care Data improvements by requiring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate efforts around maternal mortality and morbidity; report on women’s health conditions according to sociocultural and geographic contexts; and emphasize research on pregnancy-related deaths, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s office.

Additionally, among several other provisions, H.R. 769 would award Rural Obstetric Network Grants to assist in creating regional networks that address maternal mortality and morbidity rates, as well as birth outcomes, and would expand existing federal telehealth grant programs, which would include birth and postnatal services as part of telehealth networks and utilize federal funds to pay for ultrasound machines, fetal monitoring equipment, and other pregnancy-related technology, the summary says.

The bill has been endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is also cosponsored by nine other lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH), Tom Cole (R-OK), and Troy Balderson (R-OH).