06/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/29/2024 10:25
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian Reardon
June 29, 2024
[email protected]
Statement by Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Health Association of the United States
WASHINGTON, DC - The Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) applauds the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its recent announcement of a new funding opportunity for its Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model, which will focus on enhancing maternal health care for Americans enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Catholic health care has long prioritized a whole-person approach to supporting the health of mothers and babies, with the goal of improving health outcomes for all patients, especially those in vulnerable communities. We are encouraged that state Medicaid agencies will have access to expanded resources under the TMaH model to enhance care and services for mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period to ensure their physical, mental, and social well-being. We are confident that, when implemented, these programs will help reduce disparities in care, particularly among vulnerable and underserved communities, and commend the administration and CMS for their work to improve maternal health.
Members of Congress, in both parties, have also demonstrated a laudable commitment to solutions that would improve how America cares for mothers, including making 12-month postpartum care coverage available under Medicaid a permanent state option, and substantially increasing FY24 funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which helps ensure essential nutrition and support services for pregnant women and new mothers, promoting healthier pregnancies and births nationwide. We encourage lawmakers to build on this positive work by taking the following critical steps to ensure mothers and their babes have access to high-quality, affordable health care services:
CHA looks forward to continuing to work with the Administration, and Members of Congress, to advance a comprehensive approach to improving maternal care, as critical to our mission to bring compassionate, quality health care to all.
To read more about the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, click HERE.
For details on CMS' Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the TMaH model, click HERE.
Read more about solutions to strengthen maternal care HERE.
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The Catholic Health Association of the United States is the national leadership organization of the Catholic health ministry, representing the largest nonprofit provider of health care services in the nation.