Sponsors (13)
The bill could improve maternal monitoring and reduce care burdens for low-income Medicaid enrollees by encouraging remote monitoring adoption, but those benefits are delayed and could increase state and Medicaid spending unless states implement cost controls.
Pregnant and postpartum Medicaid enrollees could gain clearer access to remote physiologic monitoring devices (e.g., BP cuffs, pulse oximeters) if HHS recommends coverage changes, improving maternal health monitoring and early detection of complications.
Low-income families and parents could face fewer in-person clinic visits and lower out-of-pocket and transportation costs because home-based remote monitoring enables earlier intervention and care outside clinics.
State governments would receive updated, actionable Medicaid telehealth resources within six months of the report, helping states streamline implementation of telehealth best practices and reduce uncertainty.
Medicaid beneficiaries — including pregnant and postpartum people — may see no immediate coverage changes because the bill only tasks HHS with study/recommendations, meaning meaningful access improvements could take two years or longer.
Taxpayers and Medicaid beneficiaries could face higher Medicaid spending if states expand coverage of remote monitoring devices without cost controls, creating budget pressure and potential tradeoffs in other benefits or services.
State Medicaid programs would likely incur new administrative and implementation costs to adopt HHS recommendations and update programs, which could divert limited resources from other services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires HHS to study State Medicaid coverage of remote physiologic monitoring for pregnant/postpartum enrollees, report in 18 months, and update State guidance within 6 months after the report.
Official title: To identify and address barriers to coverage of remote physiologic devices under State Medicaid programs to improve maternal and child health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women.
Introduced August 15, 2025 by Lois Frankel · Last progress August 15, 2025
Requires the HHS Secretary to study how States authorize and implement Medicaid coverage for remote physiologic monitoring devices for pregnant and postpartum Medicaid enrollees, with a focus on barriers, limitations, and effects on maternal and child health. The Secretary must report findings and recommendations to Congress within 18 months and then update State-facing Medicaid guidance and toolkits within six months after the report is submitted to reflect the recommendations.