LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders advanced the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act, a key measure designed to strengthen Arkansas maternal healthcare services. Senator Missy Irvin (District 24) and Representative Aaron Pilkington (District 45) sponsored the bill, which introduced extensive changes in enhancing prenatal care, service delivery assistance, and postpartum support in Arkansas.
“As a mother, I understand maternal healthcare delivers essential support to assist mothers in having healthy babies, and in turn, babies have healthy mothers,” said Governor Sanders. The Arkansas government under my leadership continues its concentrated effort to create a systematic approach to maternal healthcare delivery. The Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act creates substantial, long-term change for Arkansas’ maternity healthcare and advances the state’s response to these vital health matters.
The initiative aims to tackle persistent maternal and infant health problems by implementing various changes that enhance payment rates for providers and expand Medicaid coverage while improving access to medical services for pregnant women across Arkansas.
The Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act implements important maternal healthcare changes that stem from recommendations by the Governor’s Strategic Committee on Maternal Health. Under this program, expectant mothers qualify for immediate access to prenatal care by receiving Presumptive Medicaid Eligibility, while Medicaid raises delivery payments by 70 percent and establishes separate payments for prenatal and postnatal visits which total up to fourteen visits to enhance healthcare access.
The bill establishes support for community health workers and doulas while it expands telemedicine services for remote patient monitoring. An additional investment of $7.44 million combined with Governor Sanders’ proposed $13 million budget will enable Arkansas to improve maternal care while taking advantage of federal Medicaid programs.
State leadership remains actively supportive of the bill because it helps resolve the maternal healthcare problems observed throughout Arkansas.
The primary focus of Arkansas is dedicated to maternal health support for our mothers and babies. The current announcement provides intelligent targeted care through legislation that is proactive according to Senator Missy Irvin. It is vital to break down maternity care payments precisely and raise the provided amounts during prenatal delivery and postpartum care since both changes would significantly improve healthcare accessibility for expecting mothers.
According to Representative Aaron Pilkington the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act enhances maternal healthcare services throughout Arkansas by implementing three key measures: unbundling global payments, increasing provider payments, and improving telemedicine accessibility. Through this bill healthcare outcomes during pregnancy will improve by establishing support for community health workers and establishing Medicaid coverage for pregnant women.
Governor Sanders initiated the Strategic Committee on Maternal Health with an executive order dated March 6, 2024, that mandated the committee to deliver recommendations within a six-month period. Organizations from healthcare across the state functioned more than 20 times with over 100 stakeholders to generate recommendations that built into the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act.
State health officials highlighted the importance of implementing reforms that demonstrated potential benefits for maternal health results. The Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Kay Chandler said that since the Maternal Health Strategic Committee delivered its report to the state various essential health programs and initiatives have started or experienced improvements. The future holds great promise as these policy recommendations take effect, transforming maternal health outcomes into reality. These policy reforms will bring lasting positive effects on the maternal and infant health in Arkansas for multiple succeeding years.
Through the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Act, Governor Sanders creates important progress for maternal healthcare initiatives across Arkansas. Through expanded Medicaid coverage improved payments to providers and enhanced maternal health service availability the bill lays the foundation for lasting healthcare improvements for pregnant women and newborns across Arkansas.
The state continuously works on enhancing these policies to ensure every potential mother accesses proper prenatal and postnatal healthcare throughout pregnancy and delivery. The state’s solid legislative backing along with widespread stakeholder backing positions Arkansas to advance meaningful maternal health improvements, ensuring better health outcomes for families across the state.
References: Sanders S. Governor Sanders announces Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act. Published February 6, 2025. https://governor.arkansas.gov/news_post/governor-sanders-announces-healthy-moms-healthy-babies-act
