Virginia General Assembly Passes 800 Bills
At its legislative session midpoint, Virginia’s General Assembly has passed over 800 bills. While few are specific to midwifery, ongoing policymaking around Medicaid, insurance, and facility standards is expected to impact maternal care access and quality across the state.
- A significant recent legislative change allows certified nurse-midwives with 1,000 hours of practice to practice without a written practice agreement with a physician. - The "Midwives and Maternal Access Insurance Parity" (MAMA) bill, which became law, mandates that commercial health plans and Medicaid reimburse all licensed midwives at 100% of the fee schedule, the same rate as certified nurse-midwives. - To address care shortages, a 2025 law allows certified nurse-midwives to staff 24-hour on-call rosters for hospital nursery care when a pediatrician is unavailable, a measure aimed at helping keep labor and delivery units open in rural areas. - The General Assembly is considering a budget amendment to create a workgroup that will address barriers preventing midwives from contracting with Medicaid managed care organizations, as many of Virginia's over 500 midwives do not currently accept Medicaid. - A new law requires all Virginia hospitals and birthing centers to implement standardized "maternal safety bundles," which are evidence-based protocols for managing obstetric emergencies like hemorrhage and hypertension. - Legislation has been introduced to designate March 14th as "Black Midwives Day" in Virginia to recognize their role in addressing maternal health disparities and providing culturally congruent care. - A bill passed by the House would expand Medicaid coverage to include remote patient monitoring for high-risk pregnancies and for patients of advanced maternal age. - Lawmakers have passed bills to establish a statewide paid family and medical leave program, which would provide up to 80% of an employee's average weekly wage for up to 12 weeks.
