Federal advocacy

Advocacy has been central to the March of Dimes mission since the Foundation was created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his second term in office.  Roosevelt’s strong belief in the ability of government to make a positive difference in Americans’ lives is reflected in the March of Dimes’ efforts to harness the power of public policy to improve maternal and child health.

March of Dimes Office of Government Affairs lobbies Congress and the Administration on a host of issues important to pregnant women, infants, children and families.  Our federal priorities include:

• Access to care,
• Research and surveillance,
• Prevention and education and,
• Issues important to tax-exempt organizations.

In each of these areas, we build and maintain strong bipartisan relationships with Members of Congress and Administration officials. Download March of Dimes Federal Advocacy Agenda 2022.

For the 117th Congress, March of Dimes' top federal priorities are:

Policy initiatives important to the March of Dimes include:

• Expanding access to Medicaid, including extending coverage for moms after childbirth to 12 months;
• Supporting expanded access to midwifery and doula care;
• Standardizing best practices and sustaining Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) and Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) to further patient safety;
• Supporting and enhancing newborn screening;
• Addressing disparities and implicit bias in health care; and
• Championing improved funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding for maternal and infant programs, research and surveillance.

March of Dimes will continue to work to improve upon and protect investments in these programs from unwarranted cuts and ensure they have appropriate funding to improve the wellbeing and quality of life for women, infants, children, and families.

March of Dimes also maintains strong relationships with officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, including CDC, CMS, NIH, HRSA, FDA, and other agencies. We meets with officials and provides both formal and informal input and feedback on dozens of federal regulations and initiatives each year. Learn more about our policies and positions on a range of maternal and child health issues.

For additional information, please check out the following resources and browse the articles In this topic:

• Medicaid, Work Requirements, and Maternal and Child Health Issue Brief
• Medicaid Financing Reform Proposals Fact Sheet
• Maternity and Newborn Care in Medicaid Fact Sheet
• Health Care for Mothers and Newborns Fact Sheet
• Affordable Care for Pregnant Women and Infants Fact Sheet
• Preventive Care for Women Fact Sheet
• Patient Protections for Pregnant Women and Infants Fact Sheet
• Access to Care Fact Sheet
• Paid Family Leave
• SHINE for Autumn Act Fact Sheet
• Health Equity and Birth Outcomes
• Chip Coverage for Pregnant Women Issue Brief
• Marijuana Fact Sheet
• Value of Medicaid Issue Brief
• Cost Sharing in Medicaid
• Prevention in Maternal and Child Health
• Into the Light for MMH and SUD Act Fact Sheet

See also: Advocacy and Government Affairs Issues and Priorities, Policies and positions and Victories and achievements.

In This Topic

• #BlanketChange supporters sign-up
• Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Funding for Maternal and Child Health Research and Prevention
• PREEMIE Act 2018

• Federal advocacy

Other Advocacy topics