H.R. 8080 — Data to Save Moms Act

This section authorizes $10 million for each of FY2027 through FY2031, in addition to funds under subsection (f), for grants to maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) of states, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Urban Indian organizations (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) to promote representative community engagement. (MMRCs investigate pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths to identify causes, risk factors, and prevention strategies.) Grants may support (1) selecting diverse community members for committee membership—prioritizing race/ethnicity, location, maternal mortality experiences, and nonclinical backgrounds—and addressing participation barriers (e.g., training, transportation, compensation) using reserved funds under subsection (f); (2) outreach and engagement initiatives targeting racial and ethnic minority women; and (3) public reports assessing review processes' sensitivity to minority circumstances and funds' impacts on diversity and engagement. The section further requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance on best practices and reserves not less than $1.5 million of subsection (f) funds annually for grants to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Urban Indian organizations.

This section revises the required activities of state maternal mortality review committees by redesignating existing subclauses (II) and (III) as (V) and (VI), respectively, and inserting after subclause (I) the following new requirements, to the extent practicable: (1) reviewing cases of severe maternal morbidity according to the most up-to-date indicators; (2) reviewing deaths during pregnancy or up to one year after the end of pregnancy from suicide, overdose, or other deaths from a mental health condition or substance use disorder attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth complications; and (3) consulting with local community-based organizations representing pregnant and postpartum individuals from demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes to ensure consideration of nonclinical factors contributing to pregnancy-related deaths. (As background, these committees, established under Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act, investigate pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths to identify causes, risk factors, and prevention recommendations.)

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to consult with maternal health stakeholders to review existing maternal health data collection processes and quality measures and to make recommendations for improvements, including on topics specified in subsection (c). In conducting the review, the Secretary must collaborate with a diverse group of stakeholders, including pregnant and postpartum individuals (with focus on racial and ethnic minorities), community-based organizations, maternity care providers, perinatal health workers, mental health organizations, hospitals and birth centers, state maternal mortality review committees, and the National Quality Forum. The review must assess (1) state and tribal practices for maternal health, mortality, and severe morbidity data collection and dissemination—including timeliness of death certificate amendments, electronic health record demographics, hospital reporting, demographic correlation barriers, review committee composition and training, social determinants consideration, actionable recommendations, legal barriers, pregnancy-related death identification, and funding; (2) adequacy of federal, state, local, and tribal funding for these activities; and (3) maternity care quality measures—including those used by providers and health plans, outcome sufficiency for payment models, international measures, research-validated measures, and implementation barriers.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with a 12-member advisory group (with one member from each of the 12 Indian Health Service service areas, selected from nominees by Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations), to contract within 90 days of enactment with an independent research organization or Tribal Epidemiology Center for a comprehensive study on maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals. The study must (1) identify unique causes; (2) incorporate personal stories from affected individuals; (3) analyze differences across care settings, including Indian Health Service facilities, tribally operated programs, urban Indian health programs, and non-Indian Health Service facilities; (4) review coordination with other Department of Health and Human Services social services programs; (5) assess data collection and quality measurement; (6) evaluate maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders; (7) consider social determinants of health such as poverty and violence; (8) address historical mistreatment; (9) examine Indian Health Service funding impacts; (10) assess cultural appropriateness of care; (11) recommend ways to reduce misclassification of race; and (12) provide story-informed recommendations. (The Secretary must submit a report to Congress within three years of enactment, and the contractor must transmit a report within 36 months.) This section authorizes $2 million for each of FY2027 through FY2029.

This section establishes a grant program under which the Secretary of Health and Human Services awards grants to research centers, health professions schools and programs, and other entities at minority-serving institutions (as defined in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) to study maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and other adverse maternal health outcomes among pregnant and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. Such research may (1) develop processes to listen to stories from affected individuals and perinatal health workers; (2) assess low maternal mortality rates among Hispanic individuals, including potential racial misclassification and data issues; (3) evaluate differences in adverse outcomes among Hispanic subgroups, including prenatal care access disparities; and (4) provide lactation education to increase racial and ethnic diversity among breastfeeding and lactation experts. The Secretary may use up to 10% of funds for outreach, technical assistance, and capacity building for minority-serving institutions; grantees must submit periodic reports to the Secretary; and the Secretary must submit annual reports to Congress beginning one year after the first grant is awarded. This section authorizes $10 million for each of FY2027 through 2031.

This section defines eight terms for purposes of the Act: (1) maternity care provider, as specified health care providers (e.g., physicians, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants) focused on maternal or perinatal health; (2) perinatal health worker, as nonclinical workers (e.g., doulas, community health workers, nutritionists) focused on maternal or perinatal health; (3) postpartum, as the one-year period beginning on the last day of pregnancy; (4) pregnancy-associated death, as the death of a pregnant or postpartum individual by any cause during pregnancy or within one year following pregnancy; (5) pregnancy-related death, as the death of a pregnant or postpartum individual during pregnancy or within one year following pregnancy from a pregnancy complication, chain of events initiated by pregnancy, or aggravation of an unrelated condition by pregnancy; (6) racial and ethnic minority group, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 300u-6(g)(1); (7) severe maternal morbidity, as a health condition (including mental health conditions and substance use disorders) attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth resulting in significant short- or long-term consequences; and (8) social determinants of maternal health, as nonclinical factors impacting maternal health outcomes.