Information for Legislators

Legislative Update for 2024

Thanks to Representative Macri, Freestanding Birth centers were added to a financial appropriation to the Health Care Authority (HCA) for one time grants to facilities in financial distress, and at risk of closing labor and delivery services.
- Members: Look out for more information about how your birth center can apply.
Our Bill passed the House & Senate!
SB 6178 is a technical fix adding Licensed Midwives (LM) to pharmacy statute to clarify LM prescriptive authority. It will firmly resolve issues from the past, such as challenges prescribing prenatal vitamins and it will also smooth the way for new prescribing.
- The Senate unanimously passed SB 6178 49-0 on 2/6/24 & unanimously passed the House as well.
- Read our Testimony or view the recording of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee Public Hearing on SB 6178 (Links to 57:52 - 1:02:10) or the House Hearing (Links to 1:36:08-1:38:32)
- Watch our bill get signed by the Governor! Thank you to Andy Carmichael LM, CPM with Around the Circle Midwifery for attending. Can you believe her client who works with the Governor & was there to be part of it too? So fun! Starts @ 33:33
The Governor's Budget item that created a grant program to improve access to maternity care did not, unfortunately, make it into the final budget. The $2,375,000 could have been used for capital expenses for new or recently completed licensed birth centers or small rural hospitals.
Legislators again supported the budget proviso capping LM annual licensing fees at $525. This allocation was already in the budget for this biennium & was maintained.
- Since this cap was put in place, the Licensed Midwife (LM) workforce has more than doubled, resulting in more families in Washington having access to high-quality, cost-effective care that result in even greater savings to the state budget.

Planting Seeds for Future Policy Goals:

Families who choose Licensed Midwives for their care consistently ask to receive their well-person care between pregnancies from them as well. They know they can get a pap smear or be screened for a mood disorder, for example, at their 6 week postpartum visit and they would like that option throughout their childbearing years
- If LMs could offer the same care to their clients between pregnancies that they offer during pregnancy and postpartum, the benefits for health and for the healthcare system would be even greater, reducing costs and increasing access to high quality care.
- Future budget support of data collection
  - Data entry is a time consuming & financial burden for small practices who are required to submit by law
  - Funding for data entry & to cover the costs of participating could alleviate this cost & burden
  - The public benefits from data collection that drives quality improvement
Other bills that impact our clients and communities that we support include:
- SB 5580 proposes three different strategies for improving maternal health outcomes.
- HB 1889 Qualified midwives who want to obtain a professional license to serve families in WA should be able to do so regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
  - This bill did not advance
- HB 2350/SB 6172 Doulas are well poised to serve their communities and offer high quality culturally sensitive care. This bill aimed to set their reimbursement rate and support their professional licensing and credentialing processes.
  - The Doula bill died early on in session, but the final budget included language to allow doulas to contract specifically with Medicaid and get reimbursements up to $3500 for a full course of doula care. This is exciting news as MAWS supports fellow birth workers and values the care the doulas offer. We also look forward to future opportunities to increase take home pay for midwives as well!
- HB 1655/SB 6161 Addresses inflationary costs for small health clinics, requiring health carriers to annually adjust the compensation offered to health care providers not employed by hospitals in an amount that reflects inflationary cost increases
  - Unfortunately these bills died.