Press Releases

Congresswoman Gwen Moore Statement on Ways and Means Committee Mark-up of Critical Home Visiting and Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder legislation

Today, the House Ways and Means Committee approved several critical bills important to safeguarding her constituent’s health and well-being including several proposals she authored or co-authored

“The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 honors my late colleague, who served as the Ranking Member of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Ranking Member and was a fierce advocate for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. 

Home visiting has been found to be an effective tool for helping support families. Under this program, Wisconsin has received about $8 million annually to support home visiting, including at Children's Wisconsin, where over 700 families were served last year.

This vital program uses a variety of effective models to provide comprehensive support, assisting mothers with breastfeeding, infant nutrition and safe sleep and providing parenting guidance. Home visiting provides families with assistance tailored to the needs of families and home visitors can refer families to other services that promote positive mental health and maternal health outcomes. These supports work and have been proven to improve outcomes for both parents and children, with improved educational readiness for children, better maternal outcomes for mothers, and a stronger parent-child bond for families.  

Black women are three to five more times likely to die from pregnancy complications, and these disparities are heightened in my district. The maternal health crisis remains my priority, and I am proud to support legislation that directly combats these inequities with funding for home visits to vulnerable mothers, that can connect them to postnatal care and mental health resources. Home visitors can also serve as advocate for mothers, helping them effectively communicate their needs to their health care providers, a known barrier to quality care for mothers of color.

The reauthorization measure would increase funding for states and tribes to continue to provide, these services and to help increase access for more families, among other positive changes.

Additionally, I am pleased that the Committee approved my bipartisan bill with Rep. Schweikert, the Promoting Clarity in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Act (HR 8886), which helps ensure that individuals with private insurance know which benefits are covered by federal mental health parity requirements. As too many Americans struggle with accessing the mental health care and substance abuse treatment they need, it’s vital that patients understand what mental health and substance use disorder benefits are covered by federal parity protections that prevent insurers from imposing more financial and treatment barriers than for other health benefits.

I am also incredibly proud that my bipartisan legislation with Rep. Carol Miller and Rep. Linda Sanchez, the No Surprises for Survivors Act (HR 8891), was approved by the Committee today. A survivor of sexual assault in need of a rape kit should not face the compounding stress of an unexpected medical bill. With our bill, we help support survivors through this trauma by building on VAWA’s no-cost coverage for rape kits to fully protect survivors from being billed for these services by eliminating cost-sharing by private insurers and preventing them from receiving surprise medical bills by out-of-network providers .”

The Congresswoman's legislation was included in a broader mental health and substance abuse package negotiated by Democrats and Republicans and approved by the Committee in response to the need for these services in communities across the country, including Milwaukee. These bills now move to the full House for consideration.

The following legislation passed out of the Ways and Means Committee:

• H.R. 8876, The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022
• Section-by-Section
• Summary
• Committee Print 117-1. Improvements to Medicare Inpatient and Outpatient Mental Health Services
• H.R. 8879 (introduced by Reps. Dwight Evans and Jodey Arrington)
• H.R. 8878 (introduced by Reps. Judy Chu, Bill Pascrell, and Adrian Smith)
• Committee Print 117-2. Improvements to the Medicare Program Related to Physician Services and Education.
• H.R. 432 (introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson)
• H.R. 8910 (introduced by Reps. Jason Smith, Brad Schneider, and Drew Ferguson)
• H.R. 8884 (introduced by Reps. Mike Kelly and Brian Higgins)
• H.R. 8890 (introduced by Reps. Raul Ruiz, Greg Murphy, Don Beyer, and Larry Buschon)
• H.R. 8908 (introduced by Reps. Ron Estes and Jimmy Panetta)
• Committee Print 117-3. Requiring Coverage of Forensic Medical Exams with No Cost Sharing
• H.R. 8891 (introduced by Reps. Linda Sanchez, Gwen Moore, and Carol Miller)
• Committee Print 117-4. Improved Information in Provider Directories, Plan Definitions, and Crisis Services for Private Insurance Plans
• H.R. 8885 (introduced by Reps. Dan Kildee, Brad Wenstrup, and Kevin Hern)
• H.R. 8886 (introduced by Reps. Gwen Moore and David Schweikert)
• H.R. 8892 (introduced by Reps. Terri Sewell, Darin LaHood, and David Kustoff)
• Committee Print 117-5. Improved Information for Network Coverage and Plan Documents in Private Insurance Plans
• H.R. 8881 (introduced by Reps. Steven Horsford and Vern Buchanan)
• H.R. 8889 (introduced by Reps. Stacey Plaskett, Tom Rice, and Lloyd Smucker)