Shaheen, Baldwin Introduce Legislation to Help Pregnant Women and New Moms Better Access Mental Health Support

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are introducing the Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable (MAMA) Act to ensure more pregnant women and new mothers of all backgrounds can afford mental health care and substance use disorder services by eliminating cost-sharing for treatment during and after pregnancy. Right now, one in five women in the U.S. suffer from a mental health disorder in the months before or after giving birth, the majority of whom never receive care. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are original cosponsors of the legislation, and the House companion bill is led by U.S. Congresswomen Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Lucy McBath (D-GA-07) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06).

“In recent years, we’ve seen that pregnant women and new moms across the country face an escalating and deeply worrying mental health crisis. At the federal level, there’s much more we can do to make sure that expectant and new mothers have the resources and support services they need as they navigate life with a newborn,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m proud to be introducing this bicameral bill alongside a group of my colleagues who understand the urgent need for more women to access a full range of mental health and substance use disorder services so that they—and their families—can thrive.”

“We know pregnancy and postpartum can be extremely difficult, but too many expecting and new mothers still do not have access to the mental health care and support for addiction they need during these critical months,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m proud to support this commonsense legislation which will unlock sometimes lifesaving mental health and addiction care for millions of Americans, so mothers and babies are set up for success.”

Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complication of pregnancy and birth, affecting 800,000 families in the U.S. each year. These rates are much higher among minority and lower-income populations, who face systemic barriers to care. Women of color are 3-4 times more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications during pregnancy and childbirth and to die from these complications. Low-income individuals are also less likely to receive treatment for their maternal mental health conditions. Suicide and overdose are also the leading cause of death for women the first year following pregnancy, and failure to treat maternal mental health conditions costs the U.S. $14 billion annually.

Specifically, the Mental Health and MAMA Act would:

• Require commercial, Federal Employee Health Benefits plans and state/local government insurance plans to cover mental health or substance use disorder services with no cost-sharing to beneficiaries from the onset of regular pregnancy care and ending one year after the last day of an individual’s pregnancy.
• Extend existing continuity of care requirements as passed in the No Surprises Act for mothers up to one year postpartum. These protections include network and coverage change notification requirements.

A copy of the bill text can be found HERE.

Endorsing organizations include: National Partnership for Women & Families; MomsRising; The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs; Shades of You, Shades of Me; African American Breast Feeding Network; Meta House; Dartmouth Health; National Alliance on Mental Illness; Black Child Development Institute; Institute for Women's Policy Research; In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; ZERO TO THREE; the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance; the American Academy of Family Physicians; and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

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