Why Harris’ Black Maternal Healthcare Plan Must Change to Help Families
But the question remains: Why are Black birthing people and their infants still in a health “crisis” at all? The question is: Why do Black mothers and infants continue to be in such a “crisis?” In her speeches to large groups of Black women voters, Harris has regularly brought up Black maternal mortality. She helped to mark the first White House Maternal Health Day of Action in 2021. In a column she wrote for Essence, Harris said that Black women cannot afford to not be heard, especially when it comes to their babies’ lives. It has incentivized medical providers to receive maternal-care-specific trainings and designated resources for more hospitals to be designated “birthing-friendly,” a designation similar to that of “baby-friendly,” which is awarded to institutions meeting specific guidelines that encourage breastfeeding and parent bonding, among other important recommendations for a baby’s long-term health. The “birthing friendly” hospital is required to follow evidence-based practices and implement specific programs that improve perinatal care. The Harris campaign has an opportunity to launch a health-care plan that will lower the child poverty rate, provide more free labor and support postpartum. The Momnibus Act of 2022 was announced as part of the Biden-Harris Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in 2022. Since then, nearly $220 millions have been distributed to hospitals and Medicaid expansion to support those seeking doulas and postpartum care. The Momnibus/Kira Johnson Act allocated funds to local community-based groups in areas that had low Black birth outcomes. This has helped doulas, other birth workers and Black birthing people receive more support without barriers regardless of where they gave birth or whether they were insured under Medicaid. This is shocking. This is shocking. The majority of the governmental money going to hospitals, which are the primary sites of Black maternal deaths, has not reduced mortality rates. The White House “Blueprint” for July 2024, released just before Biden dropped out of the race outlined again what the campaign would do to empower Black woman to take care of themselves outside of institutions where maternal deaths occur, and to provide adequate funding to postpartum doulas who support Black women in their first 40 days. Poverty and other social determinants (systemic racism, lack of paid family leave in jobs where Black women work) are still not addressed.
Efforts to improve the Black maternal health rate cannot rely solely on funding institutions. The efforts must be paired with direct family support. It would be radical to take a grassroots approach, which would put money directly into the pockets of women who are giving birth and other community groups, in order to reduce the distance between in-home care and the death rate for Black mothers and infants. However, it is worth considering as a way to lower the Black maternal mortality rates. The Harris campaign has released a new proposal which would increase the child tax credit to up to $4.500 per child. It also renewed a plan that gave families with newborns a tax credit of $6,000 Low socioeconomic status is linked to an 11-fold increase in the risk of postpartum depressive disorders, which would be most beneficial for Black women. The Harris campaign still has the opportunity to roll out an official health-care plan aimed at lowering the child poverty rate and providing more free labor and postpartum support, both in home for low-risk birthers and for people who wish to birth in birth centers.
Harris’ attention to the Black maternal health crisis may renew as Election Day approaches. It is still unclear whether or not specific policies will address the social determinants that lead to poverty and racism. If her administration invests in people rather than institutions, Black maternal healthcare may improve. This will help the majority Black women — who may have been the most influential group organizing to elect her.
