On April 10, the Rhode Island Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard two bills that aim to increase the accessibility of lactation counseling and midwife care for pregnant Rhode Islanders.
Members of Reproductive Justice at Brown, a student group that promotes access to reproductive care, testified at the hearing. After the hearing, the Senate committee recommended both measures be held for further study.
Bill S0479 would “require health insurance plans to cover services provided by licensed certified professional midwives,” according to the bill text. In order for CPMs to be reimbursed for their work, patient insurers would also have to report the utilization and cost data of CPM services every year.
If passed, the act would go into effect in 2026.
By “allowing medical insurance to bill these workers, (we) will continue to expand our birth workforce,” bill sponsor Sen. Tiara Mack ’16 (D-Providence) said at the hearing.
The bill could potentially also “increase affordability and access to this amazing care statewide,” wrote Rita Beyene ’27 in her testimony submitted to the Senate.
Even though the United States is currently facing a shortage of primary care providers, the midwifery sector is growing, according to Angela Lima, policy and advocacy program director at the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island.
In his testimony in support of S0479, Alex Ivanchev ’25 GS stated that midwives reduce maternal mortality and improve maternal health. But financial barriers prevent some Rhode Islanders from accessing this beneficial care, he wrote.
“Midwives play an important role in achieving reproductive justice,” he noted. “Yet, their services can only be leveraged if we work to make this option economically accessible to R.I. residents.”
“The people that can’t access that care due to finances … are the people that need it the most,” said Sarah Mead, a CPM, in her testimony at the hearing. “I think this is a very easy bill for (committee members) to decide on.”
Bill S0478 seeks to expand CPMs’ ability to prescribe medications by allowing them to order and administer local anesthetics, vaccines and intravenous fluids, among other interventions. If passed, the bill would take effect immediately.
CPMs are already trained to administer these therapeutics, Mead noted at the hearing.
Mack testified that expanding CPMs’ “scope of practice” might mitigate the effects of ongoing provider shortages.
The bill “is part of continuing our commitment to bettering all maternal health,” Mack added.
