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Senate approves maternal-health package including reporting, midwifery and anti-bias measures
Summary
The Michigan Senate approved a package of bills aimed at addressing maternal health disparities, including a biased-and-unjust-care reporting law, codifying the maternal mortality review team, expanded midwife reimbursement, and changes to civil-rights protections for pregnancy and lactation.
The Michigan Senate on April 15 approved a package of bills intended to improve prenatal, perinatal and postpartum care and to address racial disparities in maternal outcomes. Several bills in the package — including Senate Bill 29 and companion measures through Senate Bill 39 — passed with differing vote margins; key bills such as SB29, SB30 and SB31 passed 22-14-1.
Senator Geiss, a Michigan state senator, outlined the package on the floor as a coordinated effort to “pave the way for positive birthing experiences that are grounded in joy and love” and said the bills aim to “dismantle[] systemic barriers that disproportionately impact Black and Brown birthing people.” Geiss described provisions that require reporting and monitoring of unjust or biased perinatal care, expand midwifery coverage, and strengthen patient protections in hospitals.
The package’s central elements include a newly created Biased and Unjust Care Reporting Act (Senate Bill 30), requirements for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to collect and publish studies and reports about biased perinatal care, and codification of the maternal mortality review team’s duties. The bills also direct the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), on request from MDHHS, to collect information from malpractice insurers on policies related to perinatal care. Other provisions require hospitals to document patient-protection policies and support patients’ ability to have a doula or chosen companion during labor; expand certain Medicaid coverages for perinatal services; and add licensed midwives and midwifery programs to a loan-repayment program and to insurer reimbursement requirements.
Geiss also said the package clarifies that pregnancy or lactation status is protected under the state civil-rights law, referencing the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and stating the bills would make clear protections include pregnancy and lactation. “This has been a long road,” Geiss said, urging passage on the final day of Black Maternal Health Week.
Votes on individual bills in the package were recorded separately on the Senate floor. Examples of final tallies recorded in the session include: Senate Bill 29 — 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 30 — 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 31 — 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 32 — 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 33 — 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 34 — 22 aye, 14 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 36 — 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 37 — 27 aye, 9 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 38 — 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused (passed); Senate Bill 39 — 36 aye, 0 no, 1 excused (passed).
The bills have been advanced and recorded as final passage; some items in the package had earlier passed the Senate in prior sessions, and sponsors framed the measures as a response to persistent disparities in maternal outcomes. The bills assign new data-collection or reporting duties to state agencies, which means implementation will depend on MDHHS and DIFS rule-making and reporting timelines.
Senator Geiss asked that her remarks be printed in the journal. The measures will move next to the House or to any further administrative steps required for implementation.
