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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7830

WELLS Act

Rep. Kelly Introduces WELLS Act to Require Hospital Discharge Plans for Pregnant Patients

21 days ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

The WELLS Act is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being introduced in the House. It has been sent to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time, and the bill is not currently moving forward.

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • Hospitals participating in Medicare would be required to create formal discharge plans for any pregnant person admitted with signs of labor who is expected to be sent home before delivery. The plan must include a clinical justification, travel assessment, transportation verification, and identification of a backup facility.
  • The discharge plan must be discussed with the patient in their primary language, with documented confirmation that they understand the information. This requirement applies to all patients regardless of whether they are enrolled in Medicare, starting January 1, 2027.

    From policy text

    “Confirmation that the individual (or the individual's representative) has received the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (D), that such information was provided in the primary language of such individual (or representative), and that such individual (or representative) confirmed their understanding of such information.”
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  • Rural maternal care training grants would now require racial bias training as part of their programs, with new performance milestones tracking the percentage of staff trained. Annual reports to Congress must include data on clinical outcomes, patient experience, and racial disparities linked to the training.

    From policy text

    “shall use the grant funds to provide racial bias training as part of such training program”
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  • The Department of Health and Human Services must create and maintain a public Maternal Health Dashboard tracking outcomes like maternal mortality, severe morbidity, pre-delivery discharges, and federal investments in maternal health research.

    From policy text

    “shall develop, maintain, and make publicly available on the websites of the Department of Health and Human Services an interagency maternal health dashboard, which shall include maternal health outcome metrics from agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services”
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  • A multi-center research initiative would be established to study which training models — in-person, virtual, simulation, or cohort-based — are most effective at changing provider behavior and improving maternal health outcomes, particularly in reducing disparities.
HealthcareCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Mar 5, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Mar 5, 2026

Introduced in House

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

WELLS Act

Bill NumberHR 7830
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(16)
D: 16

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.