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Committee approves request to procure maternal and infant health mobile app, sets start date and reporting requirements
Summary
Lawmakers advanced HB 1977 directing the Department of Health to procure a maternal and infant health mobile application for Medicaid‑eligible families, with amendments specifying a Jan. 1, 2027 start date and a report to the 2029 legislature; Philips and midwifery groups supported the measure at the hearing.
The House Committee on Health voted to advance HB 1977 on Feb. 11 and adopted amendments setting 01/01/2027 as the program start date, requiring the Department of Health to determine participant numbers and directing a report to the 2029 Legislature.
The bill authorizes DOH to procure a maternal and infant health mobile application for Medicaid‑eligible prenatal and postpartum individuals and their families. Manny Heer of Philips Healthcare told the committee that the company’s pregnancy app is used by nearly 4,000 expecting families in Hawaii and that similar state‑level apps in other states have raised awareness of home‑visiting and nutrition programs and produced thousands of referrals.
Margaret Reagan of the Hawaii affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives asked lawmakers to include ACNM and other vetted clinical organizations among resources accessible through the app so users can reach evidence‑based clinical guidance.
The committee also moved $150,000 referenced in the bill into report language for later consideration and adopted technical edits. The chair’s recommendation to pass HB 1977 with amendments was adopted during the committee meeting.
Lawmakers asked DOH to refine operational details, including participant counts and procurement timing, during subsequent drafting and reporting steps.
