Essay
Every health plan that provides maternity benefits must provide coverage of a minimum of 48 hours of inpatient care following a vaginal delivery and a minimum of 96 hours of inpatient care following a cesarean section for a mother and her newborn. Nora Ellmann and Jamille Fields Outbrook, women’s health and rights advocates, said, “Maternity care should be consistent with the services medical experts recommend. It is also important for plans to explicitly cover services regardless of pregnancy outcomes; several states explicitly mention covering postnatal services and services related to prenatal care, false labor, miscarriage, and delivery.”
According to Diane Tanman, a public health analyst, “Mental health conditions are the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths, according to Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 38 states. And, about 1 in 5 pregnant or postpartum women have depression or anxiety disorders.” The maternal mental health program must be developed consistent with sound clinical principles and processes and must include quality measures to encourage screening, diagnosis, treatment, and referral. And, it must be designed to improve screening, treatment, and referral to maternal mental health services; include coverage for doulas; incentivize training opportunities for contracting obstetric providers; and educate enrollees about the program.
The postpartum period is a critical time for the mother and her child as the mother will be experiencing many physical and psychological changes. According to the Maternal Health Task Force, “Some women may also experience breastfeeding trouble, mental health problems, stress, fatigue, pain, changes to sexual function, and other complications associated with delivery.” A health plan must provide coverage for the following: a comprehensive postnatal visit with a health care provider not more than three weeks from the date of delivery; any postnatal visits recommended by a health care provider between three and 11 weeks from the date of delivery; and a comprehensive postnatal visit with a health care provider 12 weeks from the date of delivery.
I recognize that this bill is not perfect. As important as all of these things are for mothers some challenges are lying in lack of finances and time. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Moreover, providing mental health services involves certain challenges, such as limited human resources, insufficient financial resources, and incomplete or inefficient policy-making.”
Ellmann, Nora, and Jamille Fields Allsbrook. “States’ Essential Health Benefits Coverage Could Advance Maternal Health Equity.” Center for American Progress, 1 Oct. 2024,
Jannati, Nazanin, et al. “The Experience of Healthcare Professionals Providing Mental Health Services to Mothers with Postpartum Depression: A Qualitative Study.” Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2021,
“Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (MMHSUD).” MCHB, 2024,
Stegen, Mike. “What to Pack on Your Babymoon: Ovation Obgyn: Frisco, Texas USA.” Ovation OB/GYN, 17 Jan. 2022,