The Iowa Senate recently passed some bills to help mothers and children.

Senator for District 12 Amy Sinclair says that one bill was to help get a maternal support program up and running so that it could be of benefit to those who need it. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio what the bill does to get the program running.

“So the bill that deals with that maternal support program is a bill that allows the Department of Health and Human Services to set up a system, whereby they can be the administrator on those programs so that we can get the funding out to those maternal support programs out in communities in a way that doesn’t require a third party administrator. And so, just allowing HHS to administer that directly, that way we can get those additional supports that go outside of healthcare out to moms and kids and families.”

Sinclair mentions that the second bill provides expanded Medicaid coverage for expectant mothers and infants. She adds that it extends the coverage time frame from two months to one year for those who meet some income qualifiers. Sinclair explains that these bills were important, because making sure moms are healthier, means that their children will be healthier as well.