In an era of partisanship and polarization, compromise can be hard to come by. Bills that can garner enough support to clear the U.S. Senate's 60-vote threshold for legislation are the exception, not the norm. It is even more rare to find a bill that all 100 members of the Senate can get behind, but we recently did just that when the Senate voted unanimously to pass my Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act.
I introduced this bill last year, along with one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Senator Jacky Rosen. In both Nebraska and her home state of Nevada, there are large areas where expectant mothers do not have access to the maternal care they need. In Nebraska, for example, more than 4,000 babies are born each year to parents who live in counties with no OBGYN or certified nurse-midwife. In these mostly rural parts of our states, health outcomes for moms and their children often suffer as a result.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as many as 40 percent of women do not visit their doctor for a checkup after giving birth, often because they live too far away. And women who give birth in rural areas suffer from "higher rates of life-threatening complications during or after childbirth than mothers in urban cities," reported a 2019 study by the University of Michigan.
All women should have access to the health care they and their babies need, no matter where they live. Thankfully, innovative new technologies can bring potentially life-saving health care and checkups into the homes of even the most isolated patients -- but you need a reliable internet connection.
The Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act would direct the FCC to map the areas in our country that both lack broadband service and have high rates of poor maternal health outcomes. After incorporating this data into a broadband health mapping tool they already use, the FCC will be able to see which communities stand to benefit most from expanded access to broadband. Congress and the FCC will then be able to target resources for broadband deployment with this in mind.
Telehealth services have surged in popularity in the past few years, partly as a result of the pandemic, but we have only scratched the surface of their potential. Beyond checkups for expectant moms, the future of telehealth is allowing doctors to look at x-rays, diagnose illnesses, and monitor their patients' vital signs, all from hundreds of miles away. But for those who live in areas without a reliable broadband connection, none of this is possible.
More than 50,000 women suffer from severe complications related to pregnancy each year, and those who live in rural areas are especially at risk. During pregnancy and postpartum, minor symptoms can turn into life-threatening situations if they are not caught soon enough. When something as basic as broadband access can make the difference between life and death for these mothers, it is clear that we need to do something to help.
This bill is just common-sense, and it would make a real difference for so many women who don't live near their doctors. I look forward to working with Senator Rosen to make sure the Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act is signed into law soon.
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Categories: Nebraska, General, Government & Policy