One of the wonderful aspects of living in the United States is that you can directly influence the government process at the local, state, and federal levels. This influence only requires passion and persistence. While the Preeclampsia Foundation is thrilled that our collective passion and persistence led to May 2013 becoming the first federally-recognized National Preeclampsia Awareness Month, our work is far from over. We still need your help to secure more state and local preeclampsia awareness proclamations.

You may be asking why a local or state proclamation has value if the federal government already designated the month of May for preeclampsia.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the "health reform law." This means that implementation of this landmark legislation can continue to move forward. However, the law continues to be the subject of debate through this year's presidential and congressional election cycle, and depending on the election results could be altered by Congress and the White House in the future.  As it currently stands, the law directly benefits childbearing women and newborns by:

• prohibiting the use of pregnancy as a preexisting condition by health insurance providers;
• widening access to certified nurse-midwives by eliminating inequities in how they are reimbursed under Medicare;
• paying for home visits by nurses for at-risk families during or after ...

While the 2012 campaign cycle has been drawn out for months, primary season is beginning to wind down, and the choices of candidates for the general election in November 2012 have become more apparent. Voting is an important civic responsibility, and making an informed choice when voting is essential. Below are some tips to help you research candidates' positions on issues that are important to you.

1. Decide what issues and qualities are most important to you. Is it health care, the economy, or foreign policy?  Think about what personal qualities you think are important: past experience, previous leadership or political positions, or personality.
2. Visit the candidates' websites - either their official website if they already hold office or their campaign website - to find out their stances. Candidates generally have an "issues" section where they address major policy topics.
   1. Presidential candidate sites:  http://www.barackobama.com and ...

On May 24, 2012, the U.S. Senate passed the Food and Drug Safety and Innovation Act, which reauthorizes funding for activities related to the drug and device approval process at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The legislation also includes requirements and provisions for faster review of new and innovative therapies in order to allow patients to be able to access these therapies more quickly.  The next step is for the U.S. House of Representatives  to pass the bill, and then a final bill will go to the President for signature.

During debate on the Senate bill, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) spoke on the necessity of finding ways to strengthen and improve the FDA’s review process of new and innovative diagnostic tests, including biomarkers. While biomarkers are not specifically addressed by the legislation, during his remarks, Senator Warner specifically cited preeclampsia as an example of why the country needs to move biomarkers forward and develop a ...

During the week of March 26, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments about the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as the Health Reform Law.  As the Preeclampsia Foundation continues to advocate before state and federal policymakers on maternal health issues, we are watching closely to understand what affect the Court's decision(s) will have on women and their families. 

The following is an overview of the key questions being considered by the Court after three days of debate - the longest hearing on a single case heard by the Supreme Court since 1966.

Should the law even be considered by the Court at this time - the Anti-Injunction Act? The court must determine whether the case can be decided now, or whether the court must wait until 2015, when the tax provisions of the law (individual mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance) go into effect.  ...

The Foundation is closely tracking and providing perspective to Congressional efforts related to maternal and neonatal health and well-being, especially as they may impact preeclampsia awareness and related care.  Two pieces of legislation of interest are the PREEMIE (Prematurity Research Expansion and Education) Reauthorization Act and the Birth Defects Prevention, Risk Reduction and Awareness Act.

The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Reps. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO), would expand research, education and intervention activities as they relate to preterm birth.  The legislation will also work to promote the use of evidence-based standards of care for pregnant women.  The original PREEMIE Act was signed into law in December 2006, and the programs supported through the law at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies and subsequent resources provided to ...

In late April, the Preeclampsia Foundation continued its federal advocacy efforts, meeting with representatives of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.  Joined by Preeclampsia Foundation Medical Advisory Board member Dr. James Martin, who was recently inducted as the President of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Foundation sought to understand the breadth of preeclampsia research being conducted across the NIH institutes and centers. 

The Foundation came to the meeting with three simple messages and requests:  the institutes should collaborate to share research findings; NIH should report its annual spending allocations dedicated to preeclampsia and related research; and NIH should work with the Foundation and other partners to more effectively improve communication about preeclampsia research findings. 

Through its efforts, the Foundation learned that 9 of the 27 institutes/centers at NIH conduct or have ...

Despite spending more money than any other country on health care, the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than 40 other countries, with more than two women dying every day in the United States from pregnancy-related conditions, such as preeclampsia and eclampsia. “Near misses” are also important to quantify and understand. According to a 2010 report released by Amnesty International (AI), nearly 65,000 women almost died from pregnancy-related conditions in 2004 and 2005. Approximately 16% of the reported maternal deaths were due to preeclampsia and eclampsia. The AI report also indicated that as alarming as these figures are, they “probably significantly understate” the actual numbers because of the limitation of maternal health statistics currently being captured.
 
On March 3, 2011, the Maternal Health Accountability Act (H.R. 894) was introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) to work toward establishing an accurate picture of maternal mortality ...

Creating a strong advocacy voice for preeclampsia in the halls of Congress and within the federal agencies is a multi-step process.  Great strides were made in February toward achieving this goal.

Early each calendar year, congressional offices allow organizations to submit to them spending requests and directive language in relation to federal programs that addresses the following fiscal spending year. The congressional offices then review the requests and set their priorities. The Foundation through its advocacy efforts and work with an outside government relations firm is working to cultivate strong relationships with federal lawmakers to advance preeclampsia research and programs. The Foundation's DC representatives worked with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-California), a champion on women's health issues and a representative with strong interest in preeclampsia research. At the Foundation's urging, the congresswoman has agreed to submit congressional language ...

Policy advocacy at the federal, state or local level can be an effective way to impact the "problem" of preeclampsia in the U.S. Public awareness, research funding levels, drug development and many more issues all vie for our attention, and for the attention of the leaders and influencers who can do something about it. Please help us set our advocacy agenda by taking a brief survey by Feb. 15. The survey asks you to weigh in on what you think our advocacy priorities should be, how you can get involved, types of actions you can take (from e-mailing to meeting with elected officials and their staff), and your preferred methods of communication. Your answers are very important to us and will take less than 10 minutes to provide.
 
Visit our advocacy page to learn more about how you can let your elected officials ...

Legislation

Infant Mortality

• Children’s Act of 2010 (S. 3968) – Status: Introduced.  Sponsor(s): Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT).  Establishes a National Council on Children, with the purpose of improving preventive services and enhancing the well-being of young people.  Reducing infant mortality and the number of babies born at a low birth weight as an objective.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:s3968is.txt.pdf

Other

Sens. Alexander, Dodd Mark National Prematurity Awareness Day

• On November 17, National Prematurity Awareness Day, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) spoke on the Senate floor to mark the occasion.  Sen. Dodd also urged colleagues to cosponsor the “Prematurity Research ...

Heard on the Hill – 111th Congress, Second Session

Congressional Briefing to Mark Prematurity Awareness Month

On November 30, the Women’s Health Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, in conjunction with other women’s health organizations, will co-host a Capitol Hill briefing.  The panel of speakers will discuss risk factors for preterm birth, as well as the findings of the annual March of Dimes 50-state survey on prematurity. 
http://www.womenshealthtaskforce.org/news

In the News

Op-Ed Calls for Increased Focus on Maternal Health

Annie Murphy Paul, the author of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives, states in a Washington Post op-ed piece that there has been inadequate attention paid to maternal health ...

Members of Congress will return the third week of November for an abbreviated lame duck session - a post-election legislative session during which members convene to wrap up unfinished business before the end of the calendar year.   The agenda will be focused on items necessary for consideration before Congress officially adjourns, including federal government spending allocations (federal appropriations) for all government agencies, departments and programs – including the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – two agencies of importance to preeclampsia research and prevention efforts.  The start of the new Congressional session will also bring a number of changes that may potentially impact preeclampsia-related government policy:

Women in the 112th (2011-2012) Congress

There are 76 female legislators serving in the House of Representatives in the current Congress.  ...

111th Congress, Second Session

Congress has adjourned until after the November 2nd election.  For the next few weeks, members of Congress will be focused, almost exclusively, on campaigning for re-election.  Congress is expected to return in the third week of November for a “lame duck” session - a post-election legislative session during which members convene to wrap up unfinished business before the end of the calendar year.  Because these sessions include those members who failed to win reelection and some who are retiring, lame duck sessions are not usually very productive and can be very volatile and difficult to predict.

While the exact agenda for the upcoming lame duck session is still unclear, measures that will likely be taken up include a food safety bill and certain tax provisions.  In addition, Congress must address how to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year as they have yet to finalize all of the various bills that fund current ...

Raising Awareness of Hypertension (H. Res. 1656) - Status: Introduced.  Sponsor: Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL).  Aims to increase awareness of hypertension and reduce its prevalence in the United States through education, research, community programs, culturally competent strategies, and efforts to reduce the excess salt content in foods.  The resolution notes that women with high blood pressure are more likely to experience certain complications during pregnancy, including kidney and other organ damage, low birth weight, early delivery, stillbirth, and maternal ...

PREEMIE Act (Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who Deliver Infants Early Act) (S. 3906) -  Status:  Introduced.  Sponsors:  Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT).  Reauthorizes programs Congress established in 2006 to address premature birth.   Calls for expanding work conducted at the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Resources and Services Administration to conduct research and improve access to prenatal care.  Among its provisions, the legislation creates trans-disciplinary research centers, will result in additional epidemiological studies, and supports telemedicine services to improve access to care.  Expands and supports federal activities conducted under the 2006 statute, which would otherwise expire at the end of fiscal year 2011 (September 30, 2011).  (Text of legislation is ...

National Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Week (S. Res. 643) – Status:  Passed Senate.  Sponsor:  Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI).  Recognizes the role that nurse-managed clinics play in the health care system, designating the week of October 3 as “National Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Week.” States that clinics offer a broad scope of services that may improve access to care in communities, including prenatal ...

Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act (H.R. 3470) – Status:  Passed House.  Sponsor: Rep. Steven Cohen (D-TN).  Authorizes $10 million for Fiscal Year 2011 and $50 million between 2011 and 2015 for a grant program to create, implement, and oversee pilot programs in areas with high rates of infant ...