Maternal Health Policy Equity Summit
The Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI), in partnership with the Aspen Institute, will host a Medicaid Policy Summit on September 28–29, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
The IMI’s Maternal Health Policy Equity Summit will bring together thought leaders and change agents who will foster collaboration and generate innovative ideas for shaping Medicaid policies. The goal of the summit is to establish a national five-year strategic policy plan to support increased access and coverage to evidence-based maternal health
services and supports.
Co-hosted by The Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, summit participants will represent thought leaders and change agents from the following spheres: Medicaid enrollees, families, and caregivers; Social justice leaders; State Medicaid agency staff; Medicaid health plans; Federal government representatives; Nonprofit organizations; Advocacy and community- based organizations; Clinicians and provider groups; Academic and non-academic researchers; and Funders.
The plan, informed by all Medicaid partners and stakeholders, will:
Reduce inequities
Respect the preferences of individuals with Medicaid insurance
Center care in the community
Strengthen the safety net for families
The summit serves as a platform to explore breakthrough approaches, share best practices, and promote evidence-based solutions in the areas of mental health, doulas and perinatal community health workers, midwifery models of care, and perinatal–to–3. The event will include keynotes from senior policy officials, mission moment stories from Medicaid leaders and individuals with lived experience, breakout sessions to build the strategic policy plan, facilitated discussions, and networking opportunities, attracting participants from diverse backgrounds, expertise, and lived experience.
IMI and the Aspen Institute conducted a national survey and focus group with people with Medicaid insurance coverage, communitybased workers, federal and state policymakers, Medicaid health plans, and national maternal health experts and leaders to select
affinity topics for the summit, which will include:
- Maternal Mental Health
- Doulas and Perinatal Community Health Workers
- Midwifery-Led Models of Care
- Perinatal–to–3
Background
At the local, state, and national levels, a systematic assault is being waged on sexual and reproductive health care and options – from contraceptive access to barriers to practice for freestanding birth centers. As is too often the case, individuals and families enrolled in Medicaid are disproportionately impacted. Even worse, their voices and needs are either absent or dismissed in local and national debates, causing millions of people to lose access to lifesaving, essential care.
Medicaid coverage is essential for millions of people in our country. The number of people who depend on Medicaid for health care is skyrocketing. Nearly 50% of all births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid, and that number is as high as 70% within some communities. Medicaid also covers 75% of all family planning services.
These services are crucial, as the U.S. has the worst rates of maternal mortality among all industrialized countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 60% of U.S. maternity- related deaths that occurred over the past 30 years were preventable. To mitigate this crisis, the issues on the continuum of care must be tackled, as they are interlinked: maternal/perinatal health, infant and early child health, family planning, and LGBTQ+ health.
Given the urgency of this issue, the nation’s maternal and child health leaders need to come together to identify the challenges, propose solutions to meet the needs of those enrolled in Medicaid, and chart a strategic path forward.
Goals of Summit
Include a day and a half of facilitated roundtable discussions focused on charting a strategic path forward in Medicaid for maternal child health, as well as time for networking opportunities.
Identify gaps and opportunities as part of affinity groups that will focus on specific areas of interest such as prenatal-to-3, Title V, maternal/perinatal health (e.g., midwifery-led models of care, doulas, perinatal mental health), family planning (e.g., contraception and abortion), perinatal mental health, and LGBTQ+ health (e.g., respectful care for trans and nonbinary pregnant individuals).
Identify strategies designed to inform and influence policy levers and support successful implementation of multi-stakeholder innovative approaches (including pilot programs) that support expanded and enhanced access and coverage under the Medicaid program.
Establish a national action plan aligned with the affinity group topics and discussion during the summit that everyone will commit to leading, co-leading, or supporting. Include a national publication of proceedings with the “5 Big Commitments” for each of the affinity group areas.
A national publication of the proceedings will be released after the event. It will contain the “5 Big Commitments,” one for each affinity group topic, with actionable opportunities to provide further contextual information that outlines the national strategic plan.
Support
The budget will cover costs for 50 thought leaders and change agents from across the country to attend, as well as funders, sponsors, and other attendees. For more information about supporting the summit, please contact Lynn English, Development Advisor, at [email protected].