On Friday May 28, 2021, President Biden unveiled the administration’s proposed federal budget for FY2022. We are pleased to report that the proposed budget included significant investments for maternal and child health! Some highlights of proposed increases are included below. Of course, the spending decisions are ultimately up to Congress and we expect the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to begin consideration of their respective bills later this month.
In light of the Administration’s strong and welcomed commitment to improving maternal and child health and eliminating racial inequities in maternal and child health outcomes in the U.S., the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) calls on Congress to at least meet, if not exceed, the Administration’s request to provide $822.7 million to the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant in fiscal year 2022, including at least a $29 million increase – aligned with the President’s Budget Request – for the state formula fund, which provides backbone public health support to all states and territories to improve maternal and child health (MCH). To date, the Title V MCH Block Grant hasn’t received any dedicated COVID relief funding, though Title V base funds have been diverted in order to respond to urgent MCH needs stemming from the COVID public health emergency in addition to overall COVID response activities. In order to both continue adequately responding to the ongoing COVID public health emergency and meet the challenges of eliminating racial inequities in MCH outcomes, a significant increase to Title V funding is urgently needed.
| Program Name | Funding Line | FY21 Enacted Funding Level | FY22 President’s Budget Proposal | FY22 Budget Proposal – FY21 Enacted | Notes from the agency congressional justifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRSA Maternal and Child Health Block Grant | $712.7 M | $822.7 M | + $110 M | ||
| State Formula Funding | $563.308 M | $592.308 M | + $29 M | ||
| CISS | $10.276 M | $10.276 M | Level funding | ||
| SPRANS Total | $139.116 M | $220.616 M | + $81 M | · Approximately $77.3M of the increase to SPRANS promotes efforts to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates
· $112.3M of the proposed funding level for SPRANS would support HRSA’s efforts to improve maternal and child health |
|
| State Maternal Health Innovation Grants (SPRANS) | $23 M | $53 M | + $30 M | · This program supports innovation among states to improve maternal health outcomes and address disparities in maternal health.
· With this funding, states collaborate with maternal health experts to implement state-specific actions plans in order to improve access to maternal care services, identify and address workforce needs, and support postpartum and interconception care services. |
|
| Alliance for Maternal Health Safety Bundles (SPRANS) | $9 M | $14.3 M | + $5.3 M | · Expand the reach of AIM’s evidence-based models of maternity care to a broader array of providers and health care settings and increase AIM penetration in currently enrolled States.
· Funding will also ensure the long-term sustainability and impact of AIM by supporting the infrastructure and capacity of health care providers and systems of care to develop and implement AIM-related quality improvement efforts and efforts |
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| CDC Division of Reproductive Health | Safe Motherhood | $63 M, incl. $17 M for MMRCs | $89 M, incl. $43 M for MMRCs | + $26 M for MMRCs | · CDC will expand its support for Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) to implement data collection and data-driven action to prevent maternal deaths and illness. This funding level would expand support to all states and territories, working toward better understanding the causes of pregnancy related death and prevention opportunities |
| CDC National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disorders | Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network | $10 M | $15 M | + $5 M | · Prior investments have begun to address the serious gap in the nation’s ability to detect and respond to emerging threats to moms and babies, and additional investment will help sustain and recruit laboratory expertise and modernize and expand surveillance. |
