On October 18, 2021, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), released nine fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) bill. Similar to the House Appropriations Committee, which passed their L-HHS funding bill over the summer, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommends increased funding for several mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs.
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Last week, the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R.5487) was introduced by Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill aims to prevent stillbirth through better research and reporting on the topic. Specifically, the bill would:
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The Build Back Better Act remains in a holding pattern while Democratic lawmakers work to land on a compromise over its cost and policy parameters. For babies and families, however, this bill is more than a price tag. It is the possibility of a cohesive family policy that could transform the lives of today’s babies and generations to come. This is the message that Congress and the Administration needs to hear now: babies’ needs are not negotiable. These policies fit together to create essential, basic support for our youngest children and families, finally bringing the United States in line with other nations.
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In December 2020, the No Surprises Act was signed into law as part of the fiscal year 2021 appropriations package. This Act aims to protect patients from “surprise” medical bills, which are unexpected bills that individuals may receive after receiving healthcare services. In July 2021, in an effort to start implementing the No Surprises Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Labor (DoL), Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a regulation to restrict excessive out-of-pocket costs from surprise billing. This rule goes into effect for health care providers and facilities, as well as group health plans, health insurance issuers, and Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program carriers on January 1, 2022.
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On September 21, 2021, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Taskforce Recommending Improvements for Unaddressed Mental Perinatal and Postpartum Health (TRIUMPH) for New Moms Act (S. 2779/H.R. 4217) in the U.S. Senate. This bill, if passed, will coordinate federal programs for maternal mental health and create a national strategic plan for addressing maternal mental health disorders.
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Earlier this year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government oversight and assessment office, released a report titled, Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Additional Efforts Needed to Assess Program Data for Rural and Underserved Areas.
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In 1993 the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was passed into law, marking the first national unpaid leave policy. The law, which applies to employers with 50 or more employees, stipulates eligible workers can take up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted child; to care for a spouse, child or parent with a serious medical condition; to recover from a serious health condition themselves; or to take military family leave.
What was once viewed as a radical initiative 28 years ago, is now seen as a woefully inadequate policy that does not provide the needed support for millions of individuals and families.
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On July 29th, the full House of Representatives passed an appropriations minibus package that included the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2022 (October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022). The L-HHS bill includes increased funding for several mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs. The bill passed along party lines with a vote of 219-208.
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By Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS
On July 15th, the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee considered and passed its fiscal year (FY) 2022 (October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) funding bill. Building upon the work of the L-HHS Subcommittee on July 12th, the full Committee, which is led by Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and “Ranking Member” Kay Granger (R-TX), recommends increased funding for many mental health, maternal health, substance use, and other public health programs.
The Senate must also go through the process of marking up and passing their own L-HHS bill. If House and Senate lawmakers do not reach a final FY 2022 appropriations deal before October 1, 2021, they will need to pass a stopgap funding measure, called a continuing resolution, to keep the government funded at FY 2021 levels until they are able to pass a final FY 2022 bill. In the absence of a final FY 2022 deal or continuing resolution by October 1st, there is risk of a government shutdown.
2020 Mom will continue to track federal appropriations for crucial programs that serve moms and address mental health issues.
Below are some of the highlights from the funding bill. If you would like to view detailed recommendations from the Committee about these federal programs, please click here, where we offer quotes from the accompanying Appropriations Committee report.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): $9.16 billion (+$3 billion compared to FY 2021)
Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) Block Grant: $1.582 billion (+$825 million compared to FY 2021) to support mental health service delivery
Perinatal Suicide Prevention: “Perinatal suicides, which occur during pregnancy or up to one year postpartum, are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. The prevalence of suicidal ideation among pregnant and postpartum individuals was five times higher in 2017 than in 2006, and during that period, Black pregnant and postpartum individuals experienced larger increases in suicidality than other racial and ethnic groups. Given these trends, the Committee urges SAMHSA to develop and implement perinatal suicide prevention programs, including culturally appropriate resources and programs for Black and other at-risk pregnant and postpartum individuals.”
Project AWARE: $155 million (+$48.5 million compared to FY 2021) to support mental health services for youth
National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative $100 million (+$28 million compared to FY 2021)
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: $25 million (+$17 million compared to FY 2021)
Children’s Mental Health program: $150 million (+$25 million compared to FY 2021)
Zero Suicide: $26.2 million (+$5 million compared to FY 2021)
Suicide Lifeline: $113.6 million (+$89.6 million compared to FY 2021)
American Indian and Alaska Native Suicide Prevention: $3.4 million (+$469 thousand compared to FY 2021)
Mental Health Crisis Response Partnership Pilot Program: $100 million (+$100 million compared to FY 2021)
Interagency Task Force for Trauma-Informed Care: $1 million
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant: $2.8 billion (+$1 billion compared to FY 2021)
State Opioid Response (SOR) Grants: $2 billion (+$500 million compared to FY 2021)
Pregnant and Parenting Women: $49.4 million (+$16.5 million compared to FY 2021)
Children and Families within SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT): $30.2 million (+$592 thousand compared to FY 2021)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
Maternal and Child Health Block Grant: $869 million (+$156 million compared to FY 2021)
Alliance for Maternal Health Safety Bundles: $14 million (+$5 million compared to FY 2021)
State Maternal Health Innovation Grants: $53 million (+$30 million above the FY 2021)
Maternal Mental Health Hotline: $5 million (+$2 million above the FY 2021)
Pregnancy Medical Home Demonstration: $25 million ($25 million compared to FY 2021)
Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Disorders: $10 million (+$5 million compared to FY 2021)
Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS): $10 million (+$5 million compared to FY 2021)
Administration for Children and Families (ACF):
Child Care and Development Block Grant: $7.4 billion (+$1.5 billion compared to FY 2021)
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA): $257 million (+$71 million compared to FY 2021)
Family Violence and Prevention Services Act (FVPSA): $463 million (+$281 million compared to FY 2021)
Domestic Violence Hotline: $26 million (+$13 million compared to FY 2021)
National Institutes of Health (NIH):
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): $2.223 billion (+$119 million)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): $1.86 billion (+$380 million)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA): $582 million (+$27.5 million)
Increase of $30,000,000 for the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative
Office of Research on Women’s Health: $61 million (+$18 million compared to FY 2021)
Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS):
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Have questions or comments? Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment below.
On July 12th, the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education, and Related Agencies (L-HHS) “marked up” and passed their proposed federal
funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2022, which will begin on October 1, 2021, and end on September 30, 2022.
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There are approximately 230,000 active-duty women and nearly two million women veterans in the United States. Over 500,000 women veterans are under 40 years of age, underscoring the importance of implementing federal policies that support this growing population. To meet the needs of this demographic, Congress succeeded in passing two maternal health bills, the Military Moms Mental Health Assessment Act and the TRICARE Coverage for Doula Support Act within the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This year, the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee recently announced their markup schedule for the 2022 NDAA, with the U.S. Senate following in the fall. Continuing to build on the success last year, there are several bills to watch that have the potential to make it across the finish line this year.
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The Mom Congress advocacy team submitted the following letter to the Federal House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee who sought feedback on how to shape their proposed bill to address childcare and paid leave post-COVID.
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Here’s how it ties to our Caucus / Focus Areas, specifically how it supports mothers and families:
• The American Families Plan will provide direct support to families to ensure that low- and middle-income families spend no more than seven percent of their income on child care, and that the child care they access is of high quality.
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Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked the start of Black Maternal Health Week by announcing actions to expand access to continuous health care coverage and access to preventative care in rural areas to improve maternal health outcomes.
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This week, the White House released President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan – a roughly $2 trillion package intended to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, create millions of jobs, and revitalize the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If approved by Congress, The American Jobs Plan is expected to create millions of jobs and provide $25 billion to struggling child care centers and to build new centers.
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The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 passed Congress and is now on its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law. The implementation of this health care heavy bill will require an immense amount of coordinated work from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to roll out provisions that fall within its jurisdiction.
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On the heels of the high-profile ad in the New York Times titled We Need A Marshall Plan for Moms from 50 prominent mothers and then again published in the Washington Post by 50 prominent male leaders, many of whom are fathers, a resolution has been introduced by congress.
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After hosting the Congressional briefing “COVID’s Childcare Crisis and Maternal Mental Health” last summer, and after hearing that mothers like you were in continued distress — with an interest in but no time to search for creative and safe child-care solutions, like “pods” — we knew that child care was an issue that now more than ever we needed to track.
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Last week, the House of Representatives passed the latest COVID relief package which provides the following critical supports for moms and families, including:
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The House Budget Committee completed its ”markup” of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a bill to address the public health and economic consequences of COVID-19. The legislative package includes $880 million to fund the federal government’s food assistance program called Women Infants and Children (WIC), reinstating the paid sick and family leave benefits that expired at the end of December, and addresses extension of Medicaid coverage for pregnant women through one year postpartum.
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