Almost $9 million in grant funding will help women in 14 states and D.C. access critical health benefits available through the ACA
In its ongoing commitment to support women’s health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), today launched an innovative grant program to provide almost $9 million to improve women’s health coverage and access to critical health benefits. These funds may be used to develop activities and launch educational campaigns to address disparities in access to reproductive health care and maternal health outcomes – many of which often result from challenges women face when trying to access information about available benefits or coverage, including for contraception and other family planning services. The Expanding Access to Women’s Health program grantees include the District of Columbia and the following 14 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“While some try to prevent women from receiving health care, President Biden and Vice President Harris have remained laser focused on improving access, particularly for reproductive and maternal care,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “This Administration is improving and strengthening women’s health care. We will continue using every tool at our disposal to ensure that women can make the best health decisions for themselves and their families.”
“Improving access to women’s health care, including reproductive and maternal care, saves countless lives. Nobody should have to navigate care deserts or travel great distances to receive essential services,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. “The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on strengthening the resources available to women. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that all women have access to the care and support they need, regardless of their race, income, or where they live.”
“President Biden and Vice President Harris issued a clear charge we’ve taken to heart at CMS: Women’s health care is a fundamental right,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Reproductive health and maternity care are two essential threads of the health care safety net. And CMS will keep working to ensure that women can get the care they need, when they need it — throughout their lives.”
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has long advanced the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of protecting consumers, increasing transparency, and ensuring health insurance practices better serve the American public. The Expanding Access to Women’s Health Grant program will continue this important work by supporting state efforts to plan and implement pre-selected market reforms and consumer protections in the Public Health Service Act, with a focus on enhancing and expanding coverage of and access to reproductive and maternal health coverage and services.
For example:
- Massachusetts will launch a comprehensive outreach campaign to increase women’s awareness of preventive health benefits. This remains key for the Commonwealth because awareness can lead to increased use of services.
- Mississippi will work with experts to examine the availability of women’s health benefits in its essential health benefits benchmark plans, which dictate the items and services, including for preventive care, pregnancy, and childbirth, that most health insurance plans must cover under the ACA. The state also plans to conduct “market conduct examinations,” which are tools to confirm insurers are delivering the required preventive health services and following applicable regulations, and will use additional funds to develop educational materials, seminars, and workshops related to women’s health.
- Pennsylvania will launch a multifaceted campaign focused on awareness and education about the importance of preventive care, including contraception. The Commonwealth will also enhance benefit reviews and issuer education to reduce coverage barriers and improve compliance with pre-selected federal market reforms.
Enhancing and expanding women’s health care and coverage remain key to reducing maternal mortality rates and improving well-being for women overall. Hundreds of women die during pregnancy or in the year after, and more than 80% of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. There are also significant racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes: Black women are three times more likely to die, and Native American women are twice as likely to die, from pregnancy-related conditions than white women. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including barriers to accessing comprehensive and accurate reproductive health care information or reproductive health care coverage and services.
Today’s announcement marks the latest action CMS, HHS, and the Biden-Harris Administration have taken to improve health care quality, safety, and equity for women. HHS has encouraged all states and territories to provide a full year of continuous postpartum coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and 46 states and D.C. have implemented this to-date. In addition, CMS launched a “Birthing-Friendly” designation on Medicare.gov’s Care Compare webpage to identify hospitals and health systems with a demonstrated commitment to maternity care quality. CMS has also worked with federal partners to clarify standards and support expanded coverage of contraceptives under the ACA. These and other actions continue to advance a holistic, coordinated approach to health outcomes and equity for families across the lifespan, and are driven by the strategic approach in CMS’ Maternity Care Action Plan and the Biden-Harris Maternal Health Blueprint.
Each Expanding Access to Women’s Health program grantee will be required to develop and submit a work plan outlining specific milestones for successful implementation across the two-year grant period. CMS will also work with states to ensure compliance with federal requirements and to build a repository of best practices to help other communities improve women’s health.
For more information on grantees, visit CMS.gov.
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