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Federal report highlights barriers to accessing midwives and midwifery education

WASHINGTON — More women are using midwives during their pregnancies.

But a new government watchdog report shows there are barriers for patients who want these services and for the midwives who want to provide it.

“The bottom line is that the United States still remains the most dangerous place to give birth amongst wealthy nations,” said Monifa Bandele, Chief Strategy Officer at MomsRising.

That is one of the reasons why organizations like MomsRising are pushing for changes to maternal care nationwide. This includes more access to midwives. These are healthcare professionals who provide care during pregnancy. According to a National Partnership for Women and Families report, midwives can also help improve the quality of maternal care and improve pregnancy-related outcomes pregnancy.

“We’re really returning that to some tried and true understandings about the importance of community-based services,” said Bandele. “Someone coming to you someone who speaks your language, someone who looks like you, someone who understands the cultural values in your home, and just how that really helps outcomes.”

But this U.S. Government Accountability Office report shows some insurance companies don’t cover their services. This means people who want this care may not be able to afford it.

It also highlights the challenges for midwives in this field.

“Medicaid reimburses at a low rate and so therefore becomes very difficult for midwives to stay in practice, because they’re not getting paid to deliver what doctors are being paid to look to deliver even if they’ve done the same exact service,” said Bandele.

The report shows the number of students pursuing midwifery education is increasing. But they’re also facing barriers like high tuition costs and limited access to clinical training placements.

“It really shines a light on how important it is that we take urgent and immediate action,” said Rep. Summer Lee, D – Pennsylvania.

Congresswoman Summer Lee is pushing for changes at the federal level. This report comes as the nation faces what she calls a maternal health crisis with Black women being three times more likely to die from childbirth than white women.

“This isn’t a partisan issue, keeping people alive through childbirth and postpartum is not a partisan issue. We should have bipartisan support for this,” said Rep. Lee. “Supporting educational opportunities that would then increase the likelihood that someone stays alive, care for mothers, and birthing people that is supposed to be a bipartisan issue.”

There are some federal scholarships and loan repayment programs for midwifery students, but the report shows these students and midwives make up a small percentage of those supported by these programs.