In a Congressional era where few issues garner bipartisan support, leaders on both sides of the aisle passed a bill to promote healthy pregnancies and reduce premature birth –– a leading cause of maternal and infant mortality. What’s clear is that everyone, from Congress to clinicians, acknowledges that maternal care in the United States needs to improve.
“We applaud Congress for passing these bills that increase resources and research for maternal and infant health. Better data improves decision-making and reduces the preventable harm of premature birth,” says Dr. Mark Simon, Chief Medical Officer at OBHG.
The goal for the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act (S.1562/H.R.1197) and the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (S.2621/H.R.1909) is to reduce the significant gap in pregnancy outcomes in the United States compared to other developed countries. Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG) joined 250 organizations in a December letter urging passage of both bills.
The bills signify Congress’s determination to address the maternal and infant health crisis –– one of the country’s most significant health demands. Compared to peer countries, women and infants in the United States are at a higher risk of premature birth, maternal mortality and infant mortality.
In 2023, there were over 370,000 preterm births, representing 10.4% of live births, according to the March of Dimes. In 2025, the dismal results earned the U.S. a D+ grade for preterm birth from the March of Dimes, the fourth consecutive year with the lowest grade in Report Card history. The disparities are higher among Black women and in certain geographic locations.
Research and resources that can result from these bills can bring more hospitals to the level of care delivered at OBHG partner hospitals. In 2025, OB/GYNs and midwives at OBHG prevented premature deaths and improved outcomes for mothers and infants at more than 300 partner hospitals in 42 states:
- 1,036 premature births prevented
- 1,608 infant deaths avoided
- 500 severe maternal morbidity (SMM) cases avoided
Click here to see our full 2025 OBHG Maternal Health Impact Report
Why the PREEMIE bill and the PMDA Act matter
According to the March of Dimes, preterm birth, along with low birth weight babies, is the second leading cause of infant deaths after birth defects, accounting for 35.8% of infant deaths. Preterm birth health challenges can include developmental delays, chronic respiratory illness and vision and hearing impairment. Plus, having a preterm baby impacts families emotionally and financially.
Reducing premature births and preventable maternal mortality saves lives and improves healthcare outcomes across families and whole communities.
How the PREEMIE bill supports mothers and infants
The PREEMIE Reauthorization renews and strengthens a national commitment to prevent premature birth. The bill extends and expands research, funding and effort to promote healthy pregnancies and reduce premature birth until 2030 in the following ways:
- Reauthorizes CDC epidemiological studies, data tracking and prevention efforts, including improved national data tracking
- Reauthorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration’s activities that promote healthy pregnancies and prevent preterm birth
- Requires a new study examining the costs of prematurity, the factors impacting preterm birth rates and opportunities for earlier detection of risk factors for preterm birth
- Requires HHS to establish an interagency working group to improve federal coordination related to preterm birth, infant mortality and adverse birth outcomes.
Expanding life-saving research and systems
The funding package also includes the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act (H.R.1909), which safeguards and strengthens federal support for Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) through the CDC’s Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality (ERASE MM) program. These committees are essential to identifying the causes of pregnancy-related deaths and implementing evidence-based solutions in hospitals across the country –– particularly among racial and geographic minorities.
MMRCs systematically examine every maternal death to identify preventable factors and recommend policy and clinical improvements. These multidisciplinary committees include experts in obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, nursing, midwifery, forensic pathology, mental health and community advocacy.
Their work is especially crucial because the CDC estimates that 87% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. MMRCs strive to uncover the systemic, clinical and social drivers behind those deaths, translating findings into actionable recommendations.
For hospital leaders, MMRCs are key to developing roadmaps that reduce risks of maternal death by improving hemorrhage response, managing hypertensive emergencies, strengthening postpartum follow-up and addressing behavioral health risks.
Funding the PMDA helps to:
- Extend federal funding and technical assistance
- Strengthen data collection and transparency
- Require collaboration between CDC and HRSA to disseminate best practices to hospitals and providers.
Turning policy into practice
At OBHG, we consider these bills to represent more than research funding. These bills are a sign of much-needed momentum across the nation to improve the implementation of standardized protocols, increase quality improvement initiatives,and advance maternal levels of care.
Research, surveillance and review committees create insight, but implementation to deliver safer outcomes and advance equity requires leadership in the field.
For our part, OB hospitalists significantly reduce the likelihood of premature births and infant and maternal mortality by standardizing protocols and improving education and practice at hospitals across the nation.
We provide:
- 24/7 on-site obstetric emergency expertise
- Rapid response to emergencies like hemorrhage, hypertensive crisis and emergent cesarean delivery
- Standardized, evidence-based protocols aligned with national guidelines
- Support for community OBs
- Quality improvement initiatives and education
In hospitals nationwide, hospitalists from OBHG help reduce variation in care, improve interdisciplinary communication and build cultures of safety that align with the intent of both the PREEMIE and PMDA legislation. “Our goal is to ensure care decisions and outcomes are consistent, regardless of where you live, the color of your skin or who happens to be on call,” says Dr. Lisa Bukovac, Chief Clinical Officer at OBHG.
Maternal safety improves when policy and clinical operations move in the same direction.
While Congressional action signals our national urgency, improving maternal outcomes ultimately happens at the bedside, one patient at a time. When research, review systems and real-time obstetric expertise work together, communities reap the difference.
OBHG is the nation’s largest and only dedicated OB/GYN hospitalist provider. Through 24/7 in-hospital coverage and Maternal Health Access Solutions (MHAS), OBHG partners with hospitals to build safer, more reliable maternal care for patients, clinicians and communities. Click here to learn more about how to partner with us to improve maternal and infant care.