The United States has long failed to adequately support its expecting mothers. Across the country, pregnant women face increasing barriers to essential care, resources and mental health support. Rates of postpartum depression are on the rise, maternal mental health is plummeting, childbirth-related death rates are climbing and women of color continue to suffer disproportionately due to entrenched racial disparities. The maternal health crisis is urgent—and long overdue for meaningful change.
Virginia took a significant step forward late last month, signing into effect a bundle of new laws and precautions created to improve maternal healthcare and offer support to pregnant women statewide. The legislation, dubbed the Virginia Momnibus, was championed by Democratic government officials, including Virginia state Delegates Don Scott and Destiny LeVere Bolling, and signals a historic step forward in Virginia’s approach to maternal health.
Virginia’s Momnibus consists of 12 new laws and dedicates millions of dollars of funding toward improving Virginia’s statewide maternal health. Key efforts include expanding private insurance coverage to licensed midwives, providing dental care for pregnant individuals, creating a public awareness campaign and resource hub centered on perinatal and postpartum depression and establishing the Commission on Women’s Health as a permanent commission of Virginia’s legislative government.
These new laws began taking effect on July 1, ushering in what advocates hope will be a new era of maternal health policy—one focused on supporting pregnant individuals before, during and after childbirth.
Here’s a closer look at some of these measures.
HB1929: Partners with a mobile pregnancy application to provide information regarding maternal and infant health programs available to Medicaid-eligible prenatal, pregnant and postpartum individuals.
HB1614/SB1418: Includes a provision for payment for up to 10 doula visits. Up to four are covered during pregnancy and up to six are covered in the 12 months following birth.
HB2083: Mandates a special enrollment window for pregnant individuals to enroll in qualified health plans any time after commencement of pregnancy.
HB2753: Requires hospitals to create standardized protocols for identifying and responding to obstetric emergencies.
HB2109: Reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures to guide policies on improving maternal care.
But it doesn’t end here for Democratic Virginia officials. In addition to these 12 new laws, Virginia Democrats pledge to continue to pass new maternal health measures so long as they remain the majority in the Virginia General Assembly.
Virginia’s Momnibus laws not only extend support to pregnant individuals across the state, but they also send a clear message to the rest of the country: Action is possible, and it’s long overdue. With these measures, champions of Virginia’s Momnibus legislation are working to ensure pregnant residents receive the support they need—a commitment that other states would be wise to follow.
