On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law a bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (P.L.117-103), that included annual funding increases for several existing federal programs to improve maternal health. Also included in the bill two stand-alone maternal health bills. The two bills, the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act and the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, passed as policies riding along with the legislative movement of the larger funding bill.
Maternal Health Funding in Fiscal Year 2022
The below table highlights the federal programs dedicated to improving maternal health that received funding in FY22 through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. Each program is listed along with a brief description and its funding level for both FY 2021 and FY 2022:
| Program | What it does | Fiscal Year 2021 funding level | Fiscal Year 2022 funding level |
| Alliance for Maternal Health Safety Bundles[1] | Supports safe, evidence-based maternal care in hospitals and birthing facilities to reduce maternal mortalities and morbidities. | $9,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| CDC’s Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET)[2] | Collects health information of people exposed to a health threat during pregnancy and their infants over time to inform clinical and public health action. | $10,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| Healthy Start[3] | Funds local projects to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy, and to reduce racial and ethnic differences in rates of infant deaths and negative maternal health outcomes. | $128,000,000 | $132,000,000 |
| Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (MPROVE) Initiative[4] | Supports research on maternal morbidity and mortality at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). | None – this is a new program. | $30,000,000 |
| Maternal Mental Health Hotline[5] | A phone and text hotline for expecting and new moms experiencing mental health challenges. | $3,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Rural Maternal and Obstetrics Management Strategies[6] | Supports access to maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities. | $5,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| Safe Motherhood and Infant Health[7] | A range of CDC activities to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. | $63,000,000 | $83,000,000 |
| Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Disorders[8] | Supports health providers and systems to address maternal mental health conditions that often affect birthing people during and after pregnancy. | $5,000,000 | $6,500,000 |
| State Maternal Health Innovation Grants[9] | Assists states in collaborating with maternal health experts, optimizing resources, and implementing state-specific actions that address disparities in maternal health and improve maternal health outcomes. | $23,000,000 | $29,000,000 |
| Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant[10] | A Federal-State partnership program that focuses on protecting and promoting the optimal health of women, children, including those with special health care needs, | $712,700,000 | $747,700,000 |
To learn more about the funding for maternal health programs in FY22,view this fact sheet from the House Appropriations Committee or Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022.
Bills Passed in FY22 Appropriations
In addition to the above-detailed budget increases, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 also included the full legislative texts of the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act and the Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act. Learn more about what is included in these two acts in the table below:
| Legislation | Authorizing Language | Authorized Funding Level |
| Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (MHQIA) | Authorizes the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health program to develop and implement evidence-based practices to improve maternal and infant healthAnti-bias training for maternal health care professionals A study to identify best training practices to improve maternal health care for racial and ethnic minority populationsAwards grants to establish and operate evidence-based programs to deliver integrated maternal health care servicesIncorporates the importance of maternal vaccination in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services public awareness campaigns Awards grants to improve perinatal care and prenatal health outcomes | $24 million |
| Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (R MOMS) Act | Directs U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to improve data collection and research efforts related to maternal healthAwards grants to establish rural obstetric networks for quality improvement and innovation in maternal healthAmends existing grant programs for telehealth networks and resource centers to include a focus on maternal health careAwards grants to train maternal care providers to work in rural community-based settings | $8 million |
What’s next for Fiscal Year 2023?
The White House released the President’s budget proposal for FY23 on March 28th, formally kicking off the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations cycle. The President’s proposed budget included significant increases to existing federal maternal health programs. However, it is important to note that while the President’s budget proposal for FY23 does not include funding for the two new programs, these programs are likely to receive funding in the final appropriations bill from Congress.
You can keep up to date on funding for maternal health in the FY23 appropriations process by staying in touch with MHLIC and by signing up for legislative alerts from the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs.
[1] https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/programs/alliance-innovation-maternal-health-aim-community-care-aim-cci
[2] https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/set-net/index.html
[3] https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/healthy-start
[4] https://www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/improve-initiative
[5] https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/05/06/hhs-launches-new-maternal-mental-health-hotline.html
[6] https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/community/rmoms
[7] https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/index.html
[8] https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/screening-treatment-maternal-depression-related-behavioral-disorders-program-mdrbd
[9] https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/find-funding/hrsa-19-107
[10] https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/title-v-maternal-child-health-mch-block-grant