U.S. Sen. Capito, of West Virginia, introduces bill aimed at curbing maternal mortality

WASHINGTON (WV News) — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, along with a bipartisan group of her colleagues, introduced a bill last month with the ultimate goal of reducing maternal mortality.

The Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2023 would reauthorize a 2018 law also spearheaded by Capito, R-W.Va.

The original bill provided a framework intended to collect additional statistical data on maternal mortality through Maternal Mortality Review Committees.

“Initially, when we did the bill of 2018, we wanted to make sure that we understood the entire problem state to state because those statistics are reported by the state,” Capito told WV News. “Our state in particular has been very good at the statistical part of accurately reporting maternal mortality. In the former bill, we wanted to make sure that that was streamlined.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., one of the bill’s cosponsors, in a statement noted the wealth of information his state was able to gather thanks to the 2018 law.

“My home state of Georgia recently released a study finding 89% of maternal deaths over a recent three-year period were preventable,” the Rev. Warnock said. “This critical data collection and analysis was possible because of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Sen. Capito to reauthorize these critical programs to collect and analyze data and establish strategies for prevention.”

A collection of maternal mortality statistics for 2008-2017 compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention separates maternal mortality into five timeframes: During pregnancy (23.9% of maternal deaths reported across that decade); the day of birth (15.5%); between one and six days postpartum (18.4%); between seven and 42 days postpartum (18.6%); and between 42 days and a year postpartum (23.6%).

More recent statistics, for 2018-2021, showed a steady increase in the rate of maternal mortality (per 100,000 live births) in the United States.

The rates were 17.4 in 2018, 20.1 in 2019, 23.8 in 2020 and 32.9 in 2021.

The 2008-2017 data also breaks down the leading causes of maternal mortality from a medical standpoint.

They include cardiovascular conditions; hemorrhage; infection; embolism; cardiomyopathy; mental health conditions; and preeclampsia and eclampsia.

“Throughout my career as an OB/GYN, I am proud to have delivered thousands of babies into the arms of healthy mothers, but at times, there are circumstances beyond our control that are not fully understood,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., in a statement. “Thanks to our original 2018 law, we were able to identify several gaps in maternal deaths before, during and after delivery. Reauthorizing the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act will continue federal and state efforts to prevent causes of maternal mortality.”

The elevated nature of the United States’ maternal mortality rate is highlighted when compared to the statistics of other nations.

Out of 185 countries, the United States is tied for the 62nd lowest rate, along with Grenada, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Antigua and Barbuda, according to World Health Organization estimates. The countries had an estimated maternal mortality rate of 21 in 2020.

Other wealthy, developed nations generally had lower maternal mortality rates, such as Canada (11), the United Kingdom (10), France (8), South Korea (8), New Zealand (7), Japan (4) and Belarus (1).

“As the United States continues to experience the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world, Congress needs to address this crisis through legislation that protects our nation’s mothers and babies,” said Stacey Y. Brayboy, March of Dimes senior vice president of public policy and government affairs, in a statement. “March of Dimes applauds the leadership of Sens. Warnock and Capito on this issue, and we look forward to working with Congress to ensure the bill’s swift passage.”

Armed with the data collected thanks to the 2018 law, the reauthorization bill includes one provision that was not part of the original law.

Under the new bill, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, through the CDC director, will be required to disseminate best practices on preventing maternal mortality to hospitals and other health care facilities.

“We realize that these are larger, longer-term issues than just the nine months of a pregnancy here to look at maternal mortality. It has to be a more holistic approach,” Capito said. “And certainly best practices are always something that that we need.”

With the data in hand, officials now want to examine it to determine where and how maternal mortality is being handled effectively.

“We want to look at states that have been able to bring those statistics down, and how are they doing it?” Capito said. “Is it prenatal work or education, follow-up... postnatal, looking at postpartum depression?”

“America’s increasing maternal mortality rate is a national emergency. I do not think it’s radical to believe that everyone should be able to access high-quality health care before, during, and after pregnancy,” said Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., in a statement. “We need to identify the root causes of this crisis so we can tackle the problem head-on. This bipartisan legislation will support critical programs that collect and analyze data in order to find solutions to help ensure that mothers are able to safely give birth.”

Capito also noted the need to address racial disparities in maternal mortality.

“It seems to be particularly more prevalent in women of color. And so we need to look at that statistic more closely and look at the preventive measures that we need to take,” Capito said.

According to CDC’s 2018-2021 data, the maternal mortality rate of African Americans was between 2 1/2 times and three times higher than that of white Americans each year.

“Our country is facing a maternal mortality crisis that demands urgent action,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., in a statement. “We have a responsibility to improve health outcomes for all people, especially Black and Indigenous women who are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes.

“Accurate data collection is crucial for preventing maternal deaths, eliminating inequities and informing future policy decisions, and Maternal Mortality Review Committees are leading this effort.”

Looking forward at potential future efforts, Capito believes federal funding will be key, as will increased access to health care.

“I think, obviously, funding federal funding is an issue that’s always critical,” Capito said. “States have the bandwidth to be able to do it, but do they have the actual dollars to be able to disseminate?”

A significant portion of West Virginia’s counties are classified as health deserts, Capito said.

“In other words, there’s no OBGYN; there’s no assistance there. So let’s look at maybe what role telehealth could play in that, as you’re following someone through the pregnancy,” she said. “There are programs out there, and there have been, but in some cases we’re missing the boat here in terms of being able to address this very difficult issue much better.”