Subcommittee hears experts urge sustained funding for maternal, infant programs; members ask for outcomes data

Lansing — At a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Health, experts told lawmakers that recent state investments in maternal and infant health have expanded access to services but that continued funding is needed to preserve gains and draw down federal dollars.

Amy Zagman, executive director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, told the committee Michigan now has 1,000 registered doulas — surpassing an earlier goal — with about 700 enrolled as Medicaid providers. “With a small state investment over the last few years, we've seen a huge increase in the number of doulas,” Zagman said, stressing that Medicaid reimbursement and continued state support are critical to sustaining access.

Zagman described a voluntary maternal quality payments program funded at about $10 million that requires hospitals to implement safety bundles and pursue maternal levels-of-care verification. “Maternal quality payments are designed to go directly back to the birthing units to fund the cost of additional equipment, training, and staff,” she said; she added that 68 of 72 birthing hospitals are prepared to accept the FY26 payment once conditions are met.

Nut graf: Presenters outlined several targeted investments — including a $5 million Perinatal Quality Collaborative, $2.5 million for group prenatal 'centering' implementation, and home visiting programs that serve roughly 20,000 families — and warned that gaps in state…