The Massachusetts Legislature Passed a Comprehensive Maternal Health Bill.

According to the official press release from the Massachusetts State Legislature the bill “creates a state licensure pathway for midwives and lactation consultants, encourages the creation of more freestanding birth centers, establishes a grant program to address maternal mental health and substance use disorder, and expands the statewide universal postpartum home visiting program. This legislation also mandates that insurers provide coverage for postpartum depression and major depressive disorder screenings for perinatal individuals.”

You can read more about the bill here:

https://karenspilka.com/updates/maternalhealthpasses#:~:text=The%20legislation%20passed%20today%20creates,%2C%20childbirth%2C%20and%20postpartum%20care.

The origins of the bill partly came from a study from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health “An Assessment of Severe Maternal Morbidity in Massachusetts: 2011-2020 Released: JULY 2023“ which you can read at the link below: https://cdn.grove.wgbh.org/54/ea/a480cea245209bea2f2352050c52/an-assessment-of-severe-maternal-morbidity-in-massachusetts-2011-2021.pdf?_gl=1*1uytw69*_ga*MTIyMTQ0NjAzNC4xNzIzNTg0NDc1*_ga_325HS3KQKC*MTcyMzg0Nzc1OC4zLjEuMTcyMzg0Nzc5Mi4yNi4wLjA.