Advocates, moms and lawmakers push for group prenatal care as Legislature weighs insurer issues

Advocates, state health officials and lawmakers gathered in Lansing to promote group prenatal care, specifically the Centering Pregnancy model now operating at 39 licensed sites in Michigan, second only to California. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the program since 2024 and hopes to expand it in its fourth grant year.

One bill, SB 415, has already been signed into law requiring Medicaid coverage for the group visits. Three companion bills, including one requiring the same for private insurers, remain stuck in committee despite bipartisan support in their originating chambers.

Mothers who participated in the Ann Arbor and Haslett programs described positive experiences built around shared due dates and peer support, while state officials noted Michigan's outcomes on preterm birth and low birth weight largely track national averages rather than beating them.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.