Bill aims to mandate postpartum coverage

An Amherst Democrat is sponsoring legislation to require insurers to cover regular screening of women within a year after giving birth in an effort to combat postpartum depression.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the proposal, H. 3897, at the end of January.

Rep. Ellen Story said that that the mandate on insurers to cover the condition wouldn’t have much impact on insurance premiums, adding that screenings run from $6 to $7 and many physicians already perform them.

Postpartum depression – mental and physical suffering in the late weeks of pregnancy or in the months after childbirth – often goes undiagnosed until it has taken an excruciating toll, say advocates for maternal care. The condition affects 15 percent of Massachusetts mothers, according to a fact sheet disseminated by Story.

Dr. Janice Goodman, a professor at MGH Institute of Health Professions, noted that many women are afraid to admit depression because of stigmatization or their own lack of recognition.

But Sheila Sullivan, a Cohasset resident and administrator of a blog called Postpartum Awareness, said Story’s bill ignores the effect of medication on women, which she said can often do more harm than good.