Healthy Moms and Babies Act

Key Points

• States could create "maternity health homes" starting April 2028, giving pregnant women and new mothers a coordinated care team for up to a full year after pregnancy ends. The program is voluntary for both patients and providers, and $50 million in planning grants would help states get started.
• States would have to publicly report their low-risk C-section rates among Medicaid patients every year from 2027 through 2037, including what they are doing to safely reduce those rates and close racial and ethnic gaps in C-section outcomes.
• The bill pushes for more doulas and community health workers in Medicaid-covered care, requiring a study on doula services and guidance to states on reimbursing doulas at a level that lets them earn a living wage.
• Up to $10 million per state could fund 4-year telehealth demonstration projects to connect pregnant and postpartum women, especially those in rural or underserved areas, with doctors and specialists remotely.
• States would be required to collect standardized data on social factors like housing, food access, and economic stability that affect the health of Medicaid and CHIP patients, with $90 million authorized for federal and state implementation costs.
• A new biennial audit program would target Medicaid payment errors, requiring states with error rates above 15% to publish a plan to bring those rates down and opening up state improper payment plans to public review.