State Rep. Donni Steele on Wednesday voted to ensure prenatal and postpartum services are available to expecting mothers across Michigan. The legislative package passed the House with broad bipartisan support.

“Pregnancy and childbirth are some of the most meaningful moments of a woman’s life,” said Steele, R-Orion Township. “Many women are blessed with few problems during pregnancy, but unfortunately for some, this happy time can be marred with scariness and uncertainty as these expecting mothers face many dangerous complications.”

These bills would lift burdensome requirements for breast milk donors and require the Department of Health and Human Services to establish certain guidelines for prenatal care under the state medical assistance program. MDHHS would also have to develop a perinatal quality collaborative to support and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

The plan also increases access to fitted blood pressure monitors for expecting and postpartum mothers, requires insurers to provide coverage for mental health screenings during the postpartum period after giving birth, allows MDDHS to establish a program to register prenatal facilities for maternal care, and requires hospitals to provide new parents with information on the insurance enrollment process if a newborn does not already have coverage.

“I’m proud to support this plan that will shine a light on prenatal and postpartum health care,” Steele said. “Hopefully, through this effort, we can expand services and guarantee the best possible outcomes for expecting mothers and their new children.”

Federal officials have reported increasing maternal mortality rates over the past several years. Maternal and infant morbidity includes unexpected circumstances during pregnancy and after birth or long-term impacts that affect a mother or infant. Experts say the increased morbidity rate could be tied to later-in-life pregnancies, overall declines in public health, and preexisting conditions.

The plan moves on to the Senate for further consideration.

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