[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 162 (Monday, November 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H6115-H6117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPROVING ACCESS TO MATERNITY CARE ACT
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1209) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
the designation of maternity care health professional shortage areas,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1209
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Access to
Maternity Care Act''.
SEC. 2. MATERNITY CARE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TARGET AREAS.
Section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254e) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(k)(1) The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of
the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall
identify, based on the data collected under paragraph (3),
maternity care health professional target areas that satisfy
the criteria described in paragraph (2) for purposes of, in
connection with receipt of assistance under this title,
assigning to such identified areas maternity care health
professionals who, without application of this subsection,
would otherwise be eligible for such assistance. The
Secretary shall distribute maternity care health
professionals within health professional shortage areas using
the maternity care health professional target areas so
identified.
``(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
establish criteria for maternity care health professional
target areas that identify geographic areas within health
professional shortage areas that have a shortage of maternity
care health professionals.
``(3) For purposes of this subsection, the Secretary shall
collect and publish in the Federal Register data comparing
the availability and need of maternity care health services
in health professional shortage areas and in areas within
such health professional shortage areas.
``(4) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
seek input from relevant provider organizations, including
medical societies, organizations representing medical
facilities, and other organizations with expertise in
maternity care.
``(5) For purposes of this subsection, the term `full scope
maternity care health services' includes during labor care,
birthing, prenatal care, and postpartum care.
``(6) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as--
``(A) requiring the identification of a maternity care
health professional target area in an area not otherwise
already designated as a health professional shortage area; or
``(B) affecting the types of health professionals, without
application of this subsection, otherwise eligible for
assistance, including a loan repayment or scholarship,
pursuant to the application of this section.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
[[Page H6116]]
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1209, the Improving
Access to Maternity Care Act, which I introduced with Representative
Capps.
H.R. 1209 increases data collection by the Department of Health and
Human Services to help better place maternity care providers through
the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. Currently,
maternity care providers participate in the National Health Service
Corps through the primary care designation, but they are not always
placed where they are needed the most. H.R. 1209 will require increased
data collection on maternity care providers who will then be placed in
geographic areas within existing health professional shortage areas
where they are most needed.
This legislation enjoyed broad support on the Energy and Commerce
Committee and passed through a full committee markup on a voice vote.
H.R. 1209 provides no new spending.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1209, the Improving Access to
Maternity Care Act; and I want to thank Dr. Burgess and my dear
colleague, Lois Capps from California, for offering this important
piece of legislation.
It would require the Health Resources and Services Administration,
HRSA, to better identify areas with increased need for maternity care
services. This will help ensure the placement of maternity care
providers within the National Health Service Corps to areas with the
most need for their services.
While global maternal mortality rates have fallen by more than one-
third from 2000 to 2015, the maternal mortality rate in the United
States has actually increased. In 2015, 25 women lost their lives
during pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 births in the U.S. compared
to 23 women who did so in 2000.
It is clear that we must do more to reverse this troubling trend.
Congress must make it a priority to ensure all women have access to the
prenatal and maternity care services needed to prevent maternal
mortality.
I support H.R. 1209 because it will help expand access to prenatal
and maternity care services in the areas where there is the most need.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1430
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Roe), my distinguished colleague.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, sponsored by my good
friend from Texas, and fellow OB/GYN physician, Mike Burgess.
As an obstetrician/gynecologist who spent 31 years practicing
medicine, I find it unacceptable that there are pockets across the
United States where women do not have access to needed OB/GYN care.
There are a huge number of OB/GYNs who are nearing retirement age, and
more still who are considering early retirement. This is occurring
while the female population is expected to increase 36 percent by 2050.
A decrease in available doctors, coupled with an increase in female
population, will lead to severe shortages that could threaten many
women's ability to receive timely prenatal, labor and delivery care.
Every year, 1 million babies are born to mothers who did not receive
adequate prenatal care. Without proper care, the babies born to these
mothers are three times more likely to be born low birth weight and
five times more likely to die than babies whose mothers received care.
I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation that would require the
Health Resources and Services Administration to designate maternity
healthcare professional shortage areas and target maternity care
resources where they are most needed, helping to ensure healthier
pregnancies and healthier babies.
It was my job as an OB/GYN physician to make sure mothers and their
children were healthy during and after their pregnancy, and I still
feel very strongly about that duty now that I am here in Congress.
While this bill will not solve the entire shortage crisis, I think it
is a meaningful start.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps), my colleague and friend,
who came to Congress the same 106th Congress, I believe, along with me,
prior to that being a nurse and is now retiring from that seat, but not
before she adds one more thing at least, maybe there will be more, to
making our health system better and protecting so many lives.
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear colleague, the gentlewoman
from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1209, the Improving
Access to Maternity Care Act, which I am proud to have coauthored with
my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).
We know that healthy women make healthy moms, and healthy moms make
healthy babies. To support these women throughout their lives, they
need access to preconception, prenatal, postpartum, and interpartum
care--interpartum being that time between one child and the next,
should there be another child. But too many communities lack the
skilled maternity care professionals who are able to provide these
services, and that is what this bill would address.
H.R. 1209 would harness the power of the National Health Service
Corps to better target maternity care to the communities that need this
care the most. Maternity care professionals are already included in the
program and doing great work in communities across the country. But at
present, these providers' placement is based on data related to primary
care access shortages, without regard to the specific maternity care
which may be needed.
So while they are doing important work, there is more that we can,
and should, do to ensure that they reach the areas that would benefit
most from high-quality maternity care. Our bill would start this
process and ensure that the National Health Service Corps takes the
steps to use data to help more accurately place maternity care
professionals in the locations that have the greatest need.
H.R. 1209 would set up a process to identify communities in existing
health professional shortage areas that most need maternity care. And
then it would require action to get maternity care professionals into
these targeted areas.
We know that the National Health Service Corps is one of our most
effective programs which improves access to care in underserved areas.
We just want to make sure that we don't leave any community behind,
especially when it comes to the health of mothers and their babies.
I want to again thank my colleague, Dr. Burgess, for partnering with
me on this legislation. I thank Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Pallone,
and all of the staff for helping us move this bill forward. And I want
to thank my deputy chief of staff and health policy advisor, Adriane
Casalotti, for her years of work on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge full support of this legislation.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, which amends the
Public Health Service Act to require the Health Resources and Services
Administration to designate maternity care health professional shortage
areas and review these designations at least annually.
The National Health Service Corps places providers in health
professional shortage areas; however, there is no shortage area
designation for maternity care. Across our country, there are major
pockets of the U.S. where women have little or no access to needed OB/
GYN care. Even in my own district, there are rural communities
[[Page H6117]]
where women live more than 30 minutes away from a hospital or a clinic
offering prenatal services.
With almost 1 million babies being born to mothers who did not
receive adequate prenatal care, we must allow for new opportunities to
target OB/GYNs to healthcare shortage areas. The National Health
Service Corps offers tax-free loan repayment assistance to support
qualified healthcare providers who choose to take their skills where
they are most needed. Why would we not try to give every woman the
ability to receive timely prenatal and labor/delivery services?
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman has no more speakers,
let me just say how pleased I am to be a supporter of this legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1209, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to amend
the Public Health Service Act to distribute maternity care health
professionals to health professional shortage areas identified as in
need of maternity care health services.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________