Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant: Background and Funding

Summary

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant is a federal-state partnership program that aims to improve the health of low-income pregnant women, mothers, and children. In addition, the program aims to connect low-income families with other services and programs, such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This federal-state partnership is composed of three programs. First, formula-based block grants are provided to states and territories (collectively referred to as states in this report). Second, competitive grants are available through the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) program. Third, competitive grants are available through the Community Integrated Service Systems (CISS) program. As a whole, these programs are administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This block grant was authorized under Title V of the Social Security Act (SSA).

Appropriations

The MCH Services Block Grant received an appropriation of $638.2 million in FY2016. Of that amount, approximately $550.8 million (86.31%) was for block grants to states, $77.1 million (12.08%) was for SPRANS, and $10.3 million (1.61%) was for CISS. Congress provided $20 million in supplemental funding to the SPRANS program to help territories respond to the Zika virus.

Eligible Population

Although the MCH Services Block Grant program primarily serves low-income pregnant women, mothers, and children, individuals who are not from low-income families are also eligible to receive services. Such recipients may include nonpregnant women who are over 21 years of age.

Program Services

MCH Services Block Grant funds are distributed for the purpose of funding core public health services provided by maternal and child health agencies. These core services are often divided into four categories: (1) direct health care, (2) enabling services, (3) population-based services, and (4) infrastructure building. Within these categories, the MCH Services Block Grant supports a wide array of programs, including newborn screening, health services for children with special health care needs (CSHCNs), and immunization programs.

Topics Covered in This Report

This report provides background and funding information on the MCH Services Block Grant. It also includes select program and health expenditure data to provide context on issues that Congress and HRSA have sought to address through this block grant program.