What to know
- The Democrat’s plan to expand the state’s paid family leave policy, which would have to be approved by the state Legislature, aims to expand access to high-quality prenatal care and prevent maternal and infant deaths in New York, a problem which especially affects minority and low-income communities.
- “We hope that what we are doing in New York will raise the bar for the rest of the nation,” Hochul said Thursday at an event at a Brooklyn hospital. “Constant medical care during the first months makes a difference.”
- New York’s paid family leave policy currently only applies after the birth of a baby. If approved, New York would be the first to establish state coverage for prenatal care, the governor said.
NEW YORK — Pregnant people in New York would have 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal doctor appointments, under a new proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul after the state legislative session began this week.
The Democrat’s plan to expand the state’s paid family leave policy, which would have to be approved by the state Legislature, aims to expand access to high-quality prenatal care and prevent maternal and infant deaths in New York, a problem which especially affects minority and low-income communities.
The U.S. infant mortality rate, a measure of how many babies die before their first birthday, is worse than other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other possibilities. The U.S. rate rose 3% in 2022, the largest increase in two decades, according to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We hope that what we are doing in New York will raise the bar for the rest of the nation,” Hochul said Thursday at an event at a Brooklyn hospital. “Constant medical care during the first months makes a difference.”
New York’s paid family leave policy currently only applies after the birth of a baby. If approved, New York would be the first to establish state coverage for prenatal care, the governor said.
In New York, the mortality rate for Black babies was 2.8 times higher than that of white or Hispanic babies in 2019, according to a report released by the state Department of Health in June, which looked at the years 2016 to 2019.
The report also found that people of color are less likely to receive routine medical procedures and experience poor quality care overall, driving some of the racial disparities in children’s health.
State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, a Democrat, said that while she supports the idea, she is concerned about possible cuts to other parts of the existing paid family leave program.
“At the end of the day, there is not an unlimited amount of money in the program,” Solages said. “We have to be smart with the policies we propose. “We have to reform the programs and strengthen parts of them to make sure all families have access to them.”
Hochul’s proposal also includes waiving copays and other out-of-pocket costs for pregnancy-related benefits for New Yorkers enrolled in certain health plans. He also wants the state to provide funding for free portable cribs for economically disadvantaged New Yorkers in an effort to reduce the number of infant deaths related to unsafe sleeping environments.
Additionally, he proposes that the state launch new initiatives to reduce the rate of unnecessary cesarean sections, which the governor says are performed by some doctors more frequently than recommended.
Mike Whyland, spokesman for state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said they would review the proposal. New York’s legislative session began Wednesday and will end in June.
2024-01-05 03:34:41
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