Ending Maternal Mortality Act of 2018

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ending Maternal Mortality Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Four million American women give birth each year, and 
        an estimated 700 will die annually during pregnancy, 
        childbirth, or the postpartum period.
            (2) The United States ranks 47th for maternal mortality 
        rate globally, and is one of only eight countries in which the 
        maternal mortality rate is rising. It is estimated that, 
        between 2000 and 2014, the United States maternal mortality 
        rate grew by 26.6 percent.
            (3) Common causes of maternal mortality include obstetric 
        hemorrhage, hypertension and preeclampsia, sepsis, and 
        substance use disorder and overdose.
            (4) More than half of maternal deaths are likely 
        preventable.
            (5) Additionally, 65,000 American women experience severe 
        maternal morbidity (SMM) annually, meaning the physical and 
        psychological conditions that result from, or are aggravated 
        by, pregnancy have an adverse effect on the health of a woman.
            (6) Racial and ethnic disparities persist across the 
        Nation, and Black women are three to four times more likely to 
        die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth than White 
        women.

SEC. 3. PLAN FOR REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY.

    The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 
229 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 237a) the following new section:

``SEC. 229A. PLAN FOR REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY.

    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of the Ending Maternal Mortality Act of 2018, and biennially 
thereafter, the Secretary shall develop and submit to the Congress a 
national plan to reduce the rate of preventable maternal mortality, 
with the goals of--
            ``(1) cutting the rate in half over the 10 years following 
        such date of enactment; and
            ``(2) eliminating preventable maternal deaths by the date 
        that is 20 years after such date of enactment.
    ``(b) Objectives; Strategy.--In each biennial plan under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall include--
            ``(1) a list of objectives for meeting the goals described 
        in subsection (a); and
            ``(2) a strategy for implementing the plan across the 
        agencies and offices of the Department of Health and Human 
        Services.
    ``(c) Specific Issues.--In each biennial plan under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall address the following:
            ``(1) Increasing public understanding of maternal mortality 
        and severe maternal morbidity, including risk factors, warning 
        signs, and prevention of common causes like hemorrhage, 
        preeclampsia, and substance use disorders and other mental 
        health conditions.
            ``(2) Improving understanding of the root causes of 
        maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, including 
        both medical and socioeconomic factors.
            ``(3) Improving data collection, including State-level 
        reporting.
            ``(4) Identifying at-risk populations and eliminating 
        disparities that persist based on a mother's race, ethnicity, 
        socioeconomic status, and geographic location.
            ``(5) Supporting and expanding maternal mortality review 
        committees that bring together public and private relevant 
        stakeholders to review cases of pregnancy-related and 
        pregnancy-associated complications and deaths to make 
        recommendations to improve the quality of care and outcomes.
            ``(6) Assessing hospital culture of safety in maternity 
        care and how best to provide resources to improve outcomes.
            ``(7) Improving health and treatment services for expectant 
        mothers struggling with substance use and mental health 
        disorders.
            ``(8) Studying and supporting local and targeted responses 
        to maternal death.
            ``(9) Identifying Federal programs and activities to reduce 
        maternal mortality and making recommendations for improving the 
        effectiveness and coordination of such programs and activities.
    ``(d) Public Posting.--The Secretary shall make each plan submitted 
to the Congress under this section publicly accessible on the website 
of the Department of Health and Human Services.
    ``(e) Consultation.--In developing each biennial plan under this 
section, the Secretary shall solicit input from organizations 
representing patients, health care providers, hospitals, other 
treatment facilities, public health departments and practitioners, and 
other entities, as appropriate.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `maternal mortality' refers to maternal 
        deaths that occur during, or within the 12 months following, 
        pregnancy.
            ``(2) The term `maternal morbidity' refers to pregnancy-
        related and pregnancy-associated complications that do not 
        result in maternal death.
            ``(3) The term `severe maternal morbidity' includes 
        unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in 
        significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman's 
        health.''.

Summary: Ending Maternal Mortality Act of 2018 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to publish every two years a national plan to reduce the rate of preventable maternal mortality (maternal deaths that occur during or within 12 months of pregnancy). Each plan must address specific issues relating to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity (unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a woman's health), such as issues surrounding public awareness, at-risk populations and disparities, and quality of care.