Black Health
Priority: Active — Community engagement encouraged
Federal Maternal Health In committee

H.R. 2234

Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2025

Also known as: "Momnibus Act 2025"

Sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D) · 38 cosponsors

Legislative timeline

Introduced

In committee

Hearing held in House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health

Last reviewed by our editors: Apr 22, 2026

What this bill does

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2025 is a 13-bill legislative package introduced by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) to address the Black maternal mortality crisis. The omnibus invests in community-based perinatal health workers, including doulas and community health workers, and authorizes Medicaid reimbursement for their services.

The package addresses mental health for pregnant and postpartum people, rural maternity care deserts, intimate partner violence screening in perinatal settings, trauma-informed care, maternal vaccinations, and data collection on maternal outcomes stratified by race and ethnicity. It extends postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months in states that have not already adopted the American Rescue Plan extension. The Senate companion bill is S. 1073.

Who benefits

Black birthing people and their families. Community-based doulas, midwives, and perinatal health workers whose services would be reimbursed by Medicaid. Rural hospital maternity wards facing closure. Veterans using VA maternal care services. State Medicaid programs extending postpartum coverage. Maternal mental health clinicians serving underinsured populations.

Who loses / who opposes

No direct losers are identified in the legislation. Private insurance associations have expressed concern about race-stratified data reporting requirements. Congressional opposition is primarily from legislators who oppose race-specific health funding or Medicaid expansion in any form.

Impact on Black communities

Black women die in childbirth at 3.3 times the rate of white women in the United States (CDC NVSS 2023). In Washington D.C., the ratio reaches 4.4 times. The Momnibus directly addresses this disparity through mandatory implicit bias training, race-stratified outcomes data mandates, Medicaid reimbursement for doulas, and extended postpartum Medicaid. If enacted, this would be the largest federal investment in Black maternal health since the Affordable Care Act.

What you can do

Call your representative at 202-225-3121 and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 2234 and Senate companion S. 1073.

Sign coalition letters at the National Birth Equity Collaborative (birthequity.org) and Black Mamas Matter Alliance (blackmamasmatter.org).