Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026
Senator Shaheen Proposes Eliminating Out-of-Pocket Costs for Mental Health Care During and After Pregnancy
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill would require health insurance companies to stop charging copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs for mental health and substance use treatments for pregnant people.
- The free coverage would start as soon as a pregnancy is diagnosed and continue for one full year after the pregnancy ends, ensuring new parents have access to support during the first year of a child's life.
- The rules would apply to most private health plans, group insurance, and individual plans, covering both in-person visits and telehealth appointments with in-network doctors.
- If passed, these changes would take effect for health plans starting two years after the bill becomes law, giving insurance companies time to update their coverage rules.
- The goal of the policy is to make it easier and more affordable for new and expecting parents to get help for conditions like postpartum depression or addiction without worrying about the cost.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
The bill specifically amends the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to include the same cost-sharing elimination for mental health and substance use disorder services during pregnancy and the postpartum year. Federal employees and their dependents who are pregnant or recently postpartum would receive these mental health services at no out-of-pocket cost through their federal health plans.
Programs
Disabilities
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
Sen. Baldwin Introduces Bill to Support Pregnant and Postpartum Mothers
Senator Tammy Baldwin, along with Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Gwen Moore, introduced the Mental Health and MAMA Act to eliminate copays for mental health and addiction services for pregnant and postpartum women, ensuring affordable access during the first year after birth.
U.S. Legislators Introduce MAMA Act to Expand Mental Health Care for Mothers
A new federal bill, the Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable (MAMA) Act, has been introduced to dismantle financial barriers to mental health and addiction services for pregnant and postpartum women by mandating no-copay coverage under private and public health plans.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.