Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, a 10-year initiative aimed at improving maternal health and birth outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants.
TMaH will support participating state Medicaid agencies in developing a whole-person approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. Each awarded state will be eligible for up to $17 million dollars during the model’s 10-year period as well as 3 years of tailored technical assistance, in one-on-one and group settings, from a team of policy and analytic experts.
NACPM Executive Director, Cassaundra Jah explains “What makes this announcement particularly exciting, is the tremendous potential for this data-driven approach to effect policy change that will increase access to birth center and midwifery care. We’ve long known that Certified Professional Midwives, with our special training in providing community-based care, are uniquely positioned to play a vital role in addressing the needs of communities most affected by inequities in birth outcomes!”
NACPM has played a pivotal role in informing the development of this model, serving as active participants in numerous Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) listening sessions over the past several years.
This news stands as both a testament to and an outcome of NACPM's federal advocacy over the past 20 years. We are thrilled to witness the federal government investing in the midwifery workforce and working on aligning Medicaid as a lever for change. With the landscape shifting in favor of our vision, this is an unprecedented opportunity to advance birth equity and improve outcomes for all birthing people in the United States.
The TMaH Model builds upon The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns Initiative, a federal five-year project that tested enhanced prenatal care interventions. This initiative, launched in 2012, demonstrated significant advantages favoring midwifery-led care, especially in reducing racial inequities and improving fundamental health outcomes.
Building upon the success of Strong Start, the newly introduced TMaH Model takes a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to address the maternal health crisis in our country. This model aims to ensure pregnant and postpartum people with Medicaid or CHIP health insurance receive personalized care, including increased access to maternal health providers such as midwives, birth centers, and doula services.
For more detailed information about the TMaH Model, please visit CMS.gov We encourage you to share this news with your state legislators. For the full press release from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services visit : HHS to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes with New CMS Care Model that Expands Access to Services, Other Proven Maternal Health Approaches
Please consider celebrating this news by donating to NACPM. Your contribution enables us to be actively involved in policy advocacy to advance the midwifery profession and improve the health and well-being of child-bearing women and gender-diverse people in the USA.
Questions can be directed to info@nacpm.org.
