Bipartisan legislation championed by leaders of a key House panel aims to improve mental health care for pregnant and postpartum servicemembers and beneficiaries, targeting “alarming rates” of pregnancy-related mental health conditions in the uniformed services community.

MOAA has endorsed the Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve (MOMS) Act, introduced in the House (H.R. 7087) by Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and in the Senate (S. 3641) by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.). The bill would create a pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of providing evidence-based perinatal mental health prevention programs within military treatment facilities.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support the MOMS Act]

Bacon and Houlahan serve as the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Armed Services Committee Quality of Life Panel, which was formed last year to recommend improvements to quality of life challenges as part of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) process.

Houlahan has led efforts to improve maternal care for servicemembers and their families; the MOMS Act addresses findings from a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report requirement to study perinatal mental health conditions among TRICARE beneficiaries – a requirement Houlahan submitted to the FY 2021 NDAA.

About 36% of TRICARE beneficiaries from FY 2017-2019 were diagnosed with a mental health condition during their perinatal period – pregnancy through 12 months after giving birth – per the GAO report. While GAO researchers found no direct correlation to non-TRICARE users, other research indicates a 20% rate of mental health conditions for new mothers and mothers-to-be nationwide.

The MOMS Act would pilot evidence-based models of care to reduce prevalence of maternal mental health conditions and improve readiness.

“Having given birth to my first daughter while in the Air Force, I know first-hand how pregnancy can take a toll on a mother’s mental health and impact their ability to do their job, and for our service women, that includes protecting our national security,” Houlahan said in a press release accompanying the bill’s introduction. “We cannot expect our men and women in uniform to be ready to defend our country if we are not providing them with mental health resources, which must include perinatal and postpartum care.” 

Bacon, the bill’s co-lead, added that the bill “will reduce the alarming rates of postpartum mental health conditions with evidence-based treatment. As Chairman of the House Armed Services Quality of Life panel, it is important to me that we are taking care of our servicewomen and spouses.” 

[RELATED: MOAA-Supported Legislation Aims to Improve Military Maternal Health Care]

Barriers to accessing mental health care within the military health system are well-documented. A 2020 report from the DoD Inspector General found the department failed to consistently meet outpatient mental health access-to-care standards. Since 2020, surging demand for mental health care across the U.S. has made it even harder for servicemembers and their families to access care.

The MOMS Act would facilitate access to perinatal mental health care by integrating resources within existing maternal or pediatric care venues and addressing barriers to participation, such as child care availability.

The bill also requires an advisory committee to assist in implementation of the pilot, including servicemembers and their families who have accessed perinatal care in the military health system, military and veterans service organizations, and experts in perinatal mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention.

“This bill would establish perinatal mental health prevention programs and ensure that service women get the information and supports they need from those most equipped to help,” Shaheen said in a press release. “Service women sacrifice so much for our nation—it’s our duty to ensure they have access to the best mental health care possible before and after they give birth.” 

Fellow Senate co-lead Fisher said the legislation “bill will test the best ways to keep these new mothers healthy and prevent maternal mental health conditions before they start.”  

Please join our efforts to support this important legislation, and visit MOAA’s Legislative Action Center for updates on other MOAA-supported bills.