Sponsors (2)
The bill aims to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes by expanding services, data, and funding options for Medicaid beneficiaries and states—but it relies heavily on state implementation, grants, and future appropriations, creating likely cost pressures, administrative burdens, and uneven access across states and communities.
Pregnant and postpartum Medicaid beneficiaries will gain expanded, coordinated maternal services (remote monitoring, extended telehealth, home visiting, doulas, behavioral health, SUD supports, social‑needs screening, and 365‑day postpartum coverage) that improve early detection, continuity of care, and maternal/infant health outcomes.
State governments, researchers, and health systems will get stronger data, measurement, and reporting (SDOH, maternal/perinatal metrics, NTSV C-section rates, race/ethnicity disaggregation, GAO studies) to target interventions, track disparities, and inform policy.
States and providers receive federal guidance, toolkits, learning collaboratives, and grant funding (planning grants, SDOH funding, telehealth pilot funding) to design and scale proven maternal-health interventions more quickly.
States, Medicaid programs, and taxpayers are likely to face substantial higher costs (expanded covered services, new payments, grant programs, data systems, and administrative compliance) that may require state budget adjustments or new federal outlays.
Access and benefits may be uneven: many options are optional, demonstration‑based, or allow waivers/limited geography, so pregnant people in some states, territories, rural areas, or counties could be left behind.
The bill imposes significant administrative, IT, and reporting burdens on state agencies, hospitals, and clinicians (data collection, new metrics, audits, quality initiatives) that may divert staff time from clinical care and strain limited capacity.
Based on analysis of 32 sections of legislative text.
Expands federal actions to improve maternal/perinatal health via Medicaid-focused reports, guidance, grants, payment/reporting changes, SDOH data work, and demonstrations.
Introduced July 15, 2025 by Charles Ernest Grassley · Last progress July 15, 2025
Creates a broad federal package to improve maternal and perinatal health through Medicaid and related programs by requiring new reports and guidance, funding demonstrations and grants, and changing reporting, payment, and quality-improvement practices. Key elements include guidance and advisory structures to support community-based maternal programs, expansion of perinatal quality collaboratives to reduce unnecessary cesareans, studies and funds to capture social determinants of health (SDOH) in Medicaid data, a voluntary Medicaid "maternity health home" option, telehealth demonstration grants for pregnancy/postpartum care, and strengthened auditing and reporting requirements for Medicaid and hospitals.