Last week we talked with Senator Tina Smith about the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (MOMS) Act
Sen. Smith introduced her Rural MOMS legislation after hearing from Minnesotans and providers about the struggles in accessing maternity and obstetric care in rural areas and small towns. This fall the House companion bill to Sens. Smith and Murkowski’s bill advanced out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“We believe Congress must take swift action to improve access to quality maternal and obstetric care. We urge you to hold a Committee markup to consider the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (MOMS) Act,” wrote Sens. Smith and Murkowski. “This bill would improve rural maternal and obstetric care data, provide new rural obstetric network grants to establish regional innovation networks, expand federal telehealth grant programs to include birth and postpartum services, allow use of federal funding to be used on modernizing maternal and obstetric health technology, establish new rural maternal and obstetric care training programs, and report on maternal care in rural areas to identify locations of gaps in maternity care. “It is time we address the health disparities that prevent rural families from accessing quality care they can afford.”
