Legislative & Policy Agenda 2023
Sign Up to attend our Legislative Agenda Webinar on Friday, March 10, 2023 at 12pm PT to learn more. This year, we will be advocating for increased Medicaid reimbursement for births at home and in freestanding birth centers! Click here for more information about our Annual Midwife Lobby Day and register to join us!
Legislative & Policy Agenda 2022 ONE PAGE DOWNLOAD Our bill SSB 5765 to authorize Licensed Midwives to prescribe contraceptives and manage common conditions of pregnancy passed the WA State Senate and House this 2022 legislative session! Rationale: When people who have just had a baby must attend an extra appointment to get a contraceptive prescription or insertion they are less likely to use effective methods or any method. As Licensed Midwives do not currently have the authority to prescribe all contraceptive types, their patients risk delay and loss to follow-up, which significantly impacts already vulnerable and marginalized populations. Barriers have been identified as cost or insurance obstacles, time, inconvenience, transportation barriers, or new provider trust issues. SB 5765 would enable the Licensed Midwives’ “Legend Drug and Devices” to be updated. SB 5765 will:
We are grateful the licensing fee cap is maintained through this biennium. MAWS also supported:
Published by the Midwives’ Association of Washington State (MAWS) 2022 For more information, please contact: Jen Segadelli, MAWS President info@washingtonmidwives.org or Amber Ulvenes, MAWS Lobbyist, at (360) 280-0384 amber@ulvenesconsulting.com |
References:
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- Segadelli J. The provision of contraceptive services by Licensed Midwives in Washington state: Proposed statutory and regulatory language for expanding the scope of practice [master’s thesis]. Kenmore, WA: Bastyr University, 2016.
- Effland, K. J., Hays, K. E., Zell, B. A., Lawal, T. K., & Koontz, M. (2020). Medication access and midwifery integration: An example of community midwifery advocacy for access in Washington State, USA. Birth. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/birt.12523
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Wiley Online Library PubMed Web of Science®Google Scholar - Yang YT, Attanasio LB, Kozhimannil KB. State scope of practice laws, nurse‐midwifery workforce, and childbirth procedures and outcomes. Womens Health Issues. 2016;26(3):262‐267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2016.02.003
- Effland, K. J., Hays, K., Zell, B. A., Lawal, T., Grantham, R. L., & Koontz, M. (2021). Increasing access to medications and devices for the care of low-risk childbearing families: An analysis of existing law and strategies for advocacy. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. 66(5), 604-623. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13275