Recognizing the Biden-Harris administration’s advancements in health equity on the 61st anniversary of the March on Washington – WisPolitics

On this historic day 61 years ago, over 250,000 people from all over the country gathered in our nation’s capital to advocate for Black Americans’ civil and economic rights. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech, “I Have A Dream,” stating, “Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning,” and he was right, the March on Washington proved to be a catalyst for landmark civil rights protections like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Still, more than half a century later, severe inequities persist – particularly in health care. Black Americans face higher infant and maternal mortality rates and shorter life expectancies than their white counterparts. Despite huge gains in coverage following the passage of the Affordable Care Act and Inflation Reduction Act, racial and ethnic disparities remain.

Vice President Kamala Harris has always worked towards making sure Americans have quality health care no matter where they live or the color of their skin. While serving in the Senate, Harris made Black maternal health a key part of her legislative agenda, and as Vice President, she has worked to urgently address the Black maternal health crisis, successfully pushing to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year in 48 states and Washington D.C. The Biden-Harris administration has also awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to community-based organizations dedicated to addressing the underlying causes of poor maternal health outcomes, and established a maternal mental health hotline to help mothers and their families. Additionally, Harris has fought tirelessly to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities by increasing access to preventive care. Since 2010, Black Americans’ uninsured rates have dropped by half. Since the Biden-Harris administration took office, enrollment in ACA plans through HealthCare.gov among Black Americans has roughly doubled to more than 1.7 million. 

As Republicans in Congress make their priorities clear by turning their backs on affordable health care, working to roll back some of these lifesaving and affordable programs and pushing for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, President Biden and Vice President Harris are doing everything in their power to reduce health disparities and improve access to quality health care for all Americans.

Vice President Harris Has Prioritized Health Equity and Black Maternal Health. As Vice President, Harris has made health equity, particularly maternal mortality, a key part of her policy agenda. Maternal mortality in the U.S. is highest in the industrialized world, with around one-third of maternal deaths occurring during the postpartum period. Studies show that at least a factor of the incredibly high rate of perinatal maternal mortality is due to coverage disruptions during the first year after pregnancy, something that disproportionately affects people of color. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women in the United States and maternal mortality rates — already higher than any other developed country — are still dramatically increasing. Even so, an estimated 80 percent of these deaths are preventable, making the passage of legislation addressing this crisis even more critical. The Biden-Harris administration has taken several critical steps to address the maternal mortality crisis:

• Vice President Harris Released A Blueprint For Addressing The Maternal Health Crisis Recommending 50 Actions For Over A Dozen Agencies To Take. The Biden-Harris administration released a Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis in June 2022 leading with a letter from Vice President Harris stating, “[F]ar too many women experience pain, neglect, and loss during what should be one of the most joyous times of their lives. For certain women, the risk is much higher. Regardless of income or education level, Black women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications. […] The White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis contains 50 actions that over a dozen agencies will undertake to help improve maternal care. My hope is that the steps outlined in this Blueprint will move us closer to a future where every woman and every mother has the care she needs to thrive.”
• Vice President Harris Pushed For Expanded Postpartum Medicaid Coverage. The Vice President challenged states to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from only two months to a full year, allowing for over 720,000 people annually to see expanded coverage who wouldn’t have been able to access it otherwise. Thanks to these efforts, the Biden-Harris administration has successfully expanded the number of states offering or planning to offer a full year of postpartum Medicaid coverage from 13 states in 2021 to 48 states and the District of Columbia.
• Expanded Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Saves The Lives of Black Mothers. Over half of pregnancy-related deaths – the vast majority of which are preventable – occur between 7 days and 12 months after pregnancy, making postpartum health care coverage an essential tool in addressing maternal mortality. About 40 percent of births are covered by Medicaid nationwide, and states that have expanded Medicaid had lower maternal mortality rates than others for all racial and ethnic groups.
• HHS Awarded More Than $103 Million For A New Maternal Mental Health Task Force and Nearly $90 Million To Expand Maternal Health Resources. In September 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded $103 million in public funding for a new maternal mental health and substance use disorder talk force to improve prevention, screening, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, community practices, communication, and community engagement surrounding mental health equity and trauma. A portion of the funding is also earmarked for a national public education campaign to increase awareness of postpartum depression symptoms and demonstrate the many ways for new mothers to access care. HHS also announced that it would be awarding nearly $90 million in additional funding for Health Resources and Services Administration programs focused on improving access to maternal health services.

While Serving In The Senate, Harris Made Black Maternal Health A Key Part of Her Legislative Agenda. As a Senator, Harris was involved with the creation and proposal of the first Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to address this crisis in maternal health. The “Momnibus” would direct HHS to establish task forces to address social determinants of health and award grants to innovations in maternity care and maternal mortality tracking. It also would expand federal nutrition programs by increasing the postpartum and breastfeeding periods and reduce specific state funding to jurisdictions that have no laws restricting constraints on incarcerated pregnant people. Every year since 2020, the Momnibus Act has been reintroduced in the Senate. It is perhaps the most essential central piece of legislation existing to address maternal mortality rates and health equity. 

As Senator and California Attorney General, Harris Fought To Defend The Affordable Care Act (ACA). Harris filed 10 amicus briefs defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as California Attorney General, and as Senator co-sponsored 14 pieces of legislation protecting and expanding on the ACA, including legislation expanding preventive care requirements for private and public health insurance. Kamala Harris has a long and consistent history of fighting to defend and expand the ACA.

• The ACA Has Improved Infant and Maternal Health Outcomes For Black Americans. Whether coverage comes from Medicaid expansion or increased access to affordable coverage on the ACA Marketplace, coverage improves infant and maternal mortality outcomes. One study found that reductions in maternal mortality in expansion states were concentrated among Black mothers, “suggesting that expansion could be contributing to decreasing racial disparities in maternal mortality.” Expansion has also been tied to improving health outcomes for Black babies, significantly reducing racial disparities in low birth weight and premature birth. 
• Access To Preventive Care Through ACA Medicaid Expansion Has Reduced Health Disparities. A 2017 study called preventive care “one of the most important health care strategies to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment, improve quality of life, and prevent premature death.” Access to preventive care through Medicaid expansion reduced racial disparities in cancer care and resulted in earlier diagnosis and treatment for Black patients. According to the Center for American Progress, Black women were more likely to receive care because of the ACA.
• The Biden-Harris Administration Announced $100 Million Grant to Boost ACA Outreach In Underserved Communities. Earlier this week, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new $100 million investment in the Navigators program, a network of organizations vital to helping underserved communities, consumers, and small businesses find and enroll in quality, affordable health coverage through ACA Marketplaces. Navigators have focused their outreach on the 20 percent of marketplace enrollees from underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minorities. Navigators offer free signup assistance and played a key role in the record-shattering 2024 enrollment of 21.4 million Americans, including an estimated 1.7 million Black Americans.

As Vice President, Harris Cast Tie-Breaking Votes For The American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. In 2021 and 2022, Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking votes which allowed both the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act to pass the Senate and become law.

• The American Rescue Plan Improved Coverage For Black Americans. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan’s enhanced and expanded premium tax credits, Black Americans were 59.2 percent more likely to have gained health coverage in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA. From 2020 to 2022 there was an increase of 49 percent in the number of Black Americans enrolled in ACA coverage.
• The Inflation Reduction Act Lowers Drug Costs and Premiums For Black Americans. Two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, around 19.7 million Americans are saving on average $700 a month on health insurance, nearly 82 million Americans have access to no-cost vaccines and preventive care through Medicaid and CHIP, 10 million seniors received free vaccinations in 2023 alone, and Medicare negotiated down the prices of 10 drugs taken by over 9 million seniors. On top of this, the Inflation Reduction Act capped monthly insulin costs at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare Part D and will continue to negotiate lower drug prices for 80 drugs by 2030. Without Vice President Harris’ deciding vote, millions of Black Americans would be paying more for health care, with some not having any access at all. Black seniors on Medicare are roughly 1.5 times as likely as their white counterparts to have trouble affording medications, and about 2 times as likely to not fill needed prescriptions due to cost.