Maternal and Child Health

With President-elect Joe Biden and a new Congress taking office next month, newly updated KFF briefs examine two women’s health policy issues awaiting federal policymakers in 2021. President-elect Biden campaigned on reversing the Trump Administration’s regulations for the Title X family planning program, which require complete financial and physical separation…

The bills in this table address a number of related maternity care issues, including extending Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to one year, funding for clinical training on health equity and implicit bias, developing broader networks of maternity care providers in rural areas, and research on the potential benefits of Medicaid coverage for doula care.

As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health officials recommend that people who are sick should stay home. Benefits such as sick leave and family leave can help employees follow these guidelines; however, the U.S. does not have national standards on paid family or sick leave. The lack of a national policy means some employees are forced to take unpaid leave, or come to work when they are ill, which could have public health consequences.

This brief provides a summary of Medicaid’s role for pregnant women and infants and current Medicaid initiatives to improve maternal and infant health.

This brief and side-by-side tables reviews the key health issues that are likely to have a direct impact on women’s health as well as their access to coverage and care, and summarizes the presidential candidates’ stated positions and records on these issues.

This brief outlines how telemedicine is currently used in obstetrical care, how these services are financed and regulated, and reviews federal efforts to expand the use of telemedicine, particularly to address maternal health disparities.

Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President and Director of KFF’s Global Health & HIV Policy program, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs as part of a hearing on Unique Challenges Women Face in Global Health. Her testimony describes the role of the U.S. government in women’s global health and highlights challenges and opportunities to strengthen these efforts.