'Birth centers could fill a gap': Midwives push for a bill to expand options for expecting mothers
A bill moving through the Iowa Legislature could make it easier to open birth centers in the state, a change that midwives say is critical as access to maternity care declines.
A bill moving through the Iowa Legislature could make it easier to open birth centers in the state, a change that midwives say is critical as access to maternity care declines.
A bill moving through the Iowa Legislature could make it easier to open birth centers in the state, a change that midwives say is critical as access to maternity care declines.
A bill moving through the Iowa Legislature could make it easier to open birth centers in the state, a change that midwives say is critical as access to maternity care declines.
Iowa currently has zero birth centers, and midwives blame the state’s certificate of need (CON) process. The process requires applicants to pay up $21,000 to request approval. That money is nonrefundable—even if the request is denied.
House File 887, which passed a Senate subcommittee Tuesday, would remove birth centers from the CON process, allowing them to open without that financial hurdle.
Filling the Maternal Care Gap
Des Moines midwife Caitlin Hainley says the bill could help address growing gaps in maternal healthcare.
“In the past 25 years, almost 50% of our hospitals have shut down their maternity care services, their birth services. So, we now have large swaths of maternal health deserts across the state of Iowa,” Hainley said.
“Women may have to drive up to one or two hours for prenatal care and birth, and we really think that birth centers could fill a gap in those places," she added.
Birth centers are different than hospitals. They're staffed by midwives and provide prenatal, labor and postpartum care, primarily for women with low-risk pregnancies.
Another midwife testified Tuesday that many Iowans in rural areas are opting for home births—not necessarily by choice, but because they have no other nearby options.
"There are midwives in this state that are ready to open birth centers. There are families that want to utilize them," Bethany Gates, a certified professional midwife, said.
Gates also said she often gets calls from mothers who have recently moved to Iowa from states that have many birth centers including California, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
"'Where are the birth centers?' is the question that I get, and I have to tell them that we literally have zero birth centers. So, I am very much in favor of this bill."
Families Want More Options
During Tuesday’s subcommittee hearing, several mothers also spoke in support of the bill.
Iowa mom Mandy Shivers said she had her first child at a birth center. When the center closed, she gave birth to her second and third children in a hospital. She said the hospital deliveries were significantly more expensive.
"My first birth cost me under $5,000. My second and third births cost me over $20,000 after insurance," Shivers said. "I, as a woman, should have the choice of where to have my children, and that should be an affordable option."
What comes next?
The Iowa House unanimously passed House File 887 last week. During Tuesday's Senate subcommittee hearing, no one spoke in opposition to the bill, and lawmakers signed off on it.
It now heads to the full committee for a vote. Friday is the second funnel deadline, which means most bills have to pass through a floor vote in one chamber and committee in the other chamber to stay eligible for the rest of session.
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