Some Democratic lawmakers are urging the Department of Health and Human Services to allow pregnant women to enroll for health coverage whenever they want under Obamacare.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, pregnancy is not a qualifying life event that allows open enrollment.

This week the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. — along with 36 other senators — sent a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell urging the agency to address a gap in coverage that, they say, could leave women without access to maternity care.

“Good maternity care is essential for the well-being of children, and studies show that maternal mortality rates are three to four times higher for women who do not receive prenatal care,” the senators wrote. “Millions of women have benefitted from this protection, and we appreciate your leadership in getting this done.”

Although they applauded the “historic progress towards ending discrimination of women in the health insurance market” by requiring health plans to include maternity coverage as an essential health benefit under PPACA, they said not allowing a special enrollment period for pregnant women is a big problem.

“If a woman becomes pregnant at a time outside of the open enrollment period and is uninsured, or enrolled in a grandfathered plan that does not cover maternity services, then she will not be able to access coverage for maternity care. Without access to maternity care coverage, these women are forced to either forgo this critical care or face significant out of pocket costs,” they said.

Young Invincibles, a national nonprofit that represents 18- to 34-year-olds, have also been lobbying to add pregnancy to the list of qualifying life events.

Instant Insights /

Dems push for pregnant women to get special enrollment

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