Congress·In Committee·S. 3698

Senator Shaheen Proposes Eliminating Out-of-Pocket Costs for Mental Health Care During and After Pregnancy

Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Legislation Aims to Eliminate Out-of-Pocket Costs for Maternal Mental Health

Legislative Progress

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Law

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.

Healthcare

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 27, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Jan 27, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Related News

2 articles

Seehafer News·about 2 months ago

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.

Hoodline·about 2 months ago

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.

Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 7227Related bill

Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026

Jan 22 — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Workforce, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.