Sponsors (6)
Official title: Amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to improve Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for low-income mothers.
Introduced June 24, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress June 24, 2026
The bill substantially expands and standardizes postpartum and maternity supports for Medicaid enrollees—improving access, equity, and provider payment—but does so at higher fiscal and administrative cost and with uneven uptake and sustainability risks across states.
Pregnant and postpartum Medicaid enrollees (up to 1 year) keep continuous full-scope Medicaid coverage — including added oral health benefits — reducing insurance gaps and improving maternal care access.
Medicaid demonstrations, care coordination, and doula/lactation/support service guidance expand nonmedical and community-based supports (doulas, care coordinators, transportation, housing referrals), which can reduce barriers to care and improve maternal and infant outcomes.
A statutory minimum requiring Medicaid payments for defined primary care services at least equal to 100% of Medicare Part B rates raises provider reimbursement and may increase primary care access and provider willingness to serve Medicaid patients.
The expansions and new payment floors will increase Medicaid spending (federal and/or state), raising costs for state budgets and taxpayers and potentially crowding out other priorities.
States, managed‑care organizations, providers, and program administrators face substantial administrative and implementation burdens (eligibility transitions, contract changes, reporting, training, compliance), which could divert resources from clinical care and slow rollout.
Benefits and program changes may be uneven across states—due to state selection for demonstrations, optional state elections, waiver flexibility, or varied adoption of doula reimbursement guidance—creating geographic inequities in access.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Extends Medicaid/CHIP postpartum coverage from 60 days to 1 year, requires full benefits, funds a maternity care home demo, raises Medicaid primary care payment floors, and studies doulas and telehealth.
Extends Medicaid and CHIP postpartum continuous eligibility from 60 days to 1 year after pregnancy (with States allowed to elect longer), requires full-scope Medicaid benefits for pregnant and postpartum individuals, and funds a 5-year Maternity Care Home demonstration for at least 10 States and one territory. It also raises a Medicare-based minimum payment floor for Medicaid primary care services, directs study and guidance on Medicaid coverage of doulas, and requires a GAO report on use of telehealth for maternity care. The bill includes an authorized funding stream for the demonstration, requires federal reporting and evaluation, and directs MACPAC and CMS to study and provide guidance on doula services while GAO studies telehealth maternity care. Several provisions take effect starting the first day of the first month after enactment or require actions (launch, reports, guidance) within 1 year of enactment.