SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State representatives passed a plan Saturday that could drastically improve maternal healthcare for Black women in Illinois.
The legislation requires private insurance companies to cover maternal services provided by midwives, doulas and lactation consultants. Private insurance companies would be required to cover home births, home visits and support during labor, abortion or miscarriage as well.
The proposal was a top priority for Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton.
"This bill empowers Illinois women to make holistic choices for their birth experience, which is especially important for Black mothers who face unacceptably high rates of complications and mortality," Stratton said.
Gov. JB Pritzker also hopes to provide $4.4 million to Illinois Department of Public Health in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to address the state's maternal mortality rate and create an action plan to support community-based full spectrum care. The Democrat also wants lawmakers to approve a $5 million expansion of the state's home visiting program and $1 million for a new diaper distribution program.
"What's so heartening to me is to see a governor who understands that a safe healthy pregnancy shouldn't be predicated on one's income, background or race," said House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston). "It is a fundamental right."
Although, Republican lawmakers said it is wrong that patients having a baby or miscarriage would still have a co-pay, but anyone having an abortion would not have to pay.
"This is not a partisan issue. This is a health issue," said Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago). "It impacts every woman across the state of Illinois. By eliminating the cost-sharing requirements for this care, we can save lives across the board."
House Bill 5142 passed out of the House on a 70-35 vote. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 40-19 vote.
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