Call to Action: Support Minnesota's Birth Centers!

Hello birth center community,

Thank you for taking the time to support Minnesota's birth centers!

While freestanding birth centers offer high-quality and cost-effective care, they face significant barriers in securing appropriate reimbursement from insurance providers, government programs, and other payers. This pay inequity directly affects their ability to offer competitive wages, retain skilled staff, and maintain the financial stability to keep running and provide the maternal healthcare that is so desperately needed in our state.

Our bill, Senate File 2109 (chief authored by Senator Pappas), aims to address and promote sustainable reimbursement for freestanding birth centers in Minnesota. This means ensuring they receive fair and equitable reimbursement for the maternity care services they provide -- reimbursement rates comparable to those that hospitals receive for the same services.

The bill was heard and passed in the MN Senate Health and Human Services Committee. It was then laid over for possible inclusion in the final package of healthcare bills called the omnibus bill, which is Senate File 2669 (chief authored by Senator Wiklund).

Here is where we need your help -- the bill did not make it into the Senate Health omnibus bill, and we need to let our legislators know that this proposal is crucial for the birth center community and maternal health in Minnesota!

Please take a moment to send the following pre-written email asking your Senator to support the inclusion of the birth center bill in the final omnibus package!

Here are the quick and easy steps to contact your state senator:

1) Start out by writing your first and last name as well as your email address. Then click "Next" to start sending the email.

2) You will be asked to input your address in order to identify the Senator who represents you. We are especially looking to send emails to Senators on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which are: Wiklund, Mann, Utke, Abeler, Boldon, Hoffman, Koran, Kupec, Lieske, and Port.

3) Feel free to either send the pre-written email as-is, or customize and add a few sentences about why this bill or maternal health in general is important to you

MN2025-2026SF 2109

Reimbursement rates provided by birth centers in the medical assistance program modification

Last Action

Author added Boldon

Senate • Apr 03, 2025

Latest Version

Introduction

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What's your district & how can legislators reach you?

Your Message to the legislators

Dear (name and title inserted automatically),

I am a constituent in your district and a member of the birth center community here in Minnesota. I am writing to ask for your crucial support on the birth center reimbursement bill, SF2109 (Pappas) -- and to ask that this bill be included in SF2669, the Senate Health Omnibus Bill.

SF2109 aims to address and promote sustainable reimbursement for freestanding birth centers in Minnesota. Freestanding birth centers in our state are independent facilities that provide comprehensive maternity care, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. Our birth centers play a vital role in providing high-quality, patient-centered care, offering an alternative to the hospital setting for those seeking a low-intervention birth experience.

Freestanding birth centers in Minnesota have consistently exceeded benchmarks for value-based care, with much fewer cesarean section rates, fewer maternal complications, lower NICU rates, and significantly higher breastfeeding rates. These outcomes result in cost savings—not because freestanding birth centers are paid less, but because their positive outcomes reduce the burden on the medical system.

Despite this, birth centers face significant barriers in securing appropriate reimbursement from insurance providers, government programs, and other payers. This pay inequity directly affects their ability to offer competitive wages, retain skilled staff, and maintain the financial stability to keep running and provide the maternal healthcare that is so desperately needed in our state.

SF2109 ensures pay equity for birth centers in our state -- this means ensuring they receive fair and equitable reimbursement for the maternity care services they provide: reimbursement rates comparable to those that hospitals receive for the same services.

Here is where I need your help, Senator: The bill was heard and passed in the MN Senate Health and Human Services Committee but did not make it into the Senate Health Omnibus (SF2669 Wiklund). As your constituent, I am asking for your support to urge your colleagues in the Senate HHS Committee to include SF2109 in the Senate Health Omnibus, which is being marked up this Thursday, April 10th.

This is a highly critical piece of legislation and an important priority for the midwife and birth center community in Minnesota. Please support inclusion of our bill into the omnibus. I appreciate your help!