Sponsors (5)
The bill provides multi-year federal funding to study and target maternal health disparities—potentially improving outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people and high-risk communities—but increases federal spending and may produce slow or uneven gains if funding emphasizes research over immediate local implementation.
Pregnant and postpartum women will receive targeted research and interventions aimed at reducing preventable maternal deaths and severe maternal morbidity.
Communities with disproportionately high maternal mortality (including racial/ethnic minorities and low-income populations) will receive community-based interventions and evaluation to address disparities.
Hospitals, state health systems, and researchers gain stable federal funding ($73.4M/year for FY2026–2031) to study biological, behavioral, and regional drivers of maternal outcomes, building an evidence base for region-specific improvements.
Local clinics and hospitals may not receive sufficient operational support if funds concentrate on research rather than implementation, limiting immediate improvements in care.
Research grants and program funding may take time to translate into measurable reductions in maternal mortality, delaying benefits for pregnant and postpartum people.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending of $73.4M annually from FY2026–2031 to fund the initiative.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes and funds the NIH IMPROVE Initiative to support research and community interventions to reduce maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and disparities ($73.4M/year authorized for FY2026–2031).
Creates the NIH IMPROVE Initiative to advance research and community interventions aimed at reducing preventable maternal deaths, severe maternal illness around pregnancy, and racial and other disparities in maternal health. The NIH Director may fund research, community-based programs, and related activities, with authorized funding of $73,400,000 per year for fiscal years 2026–2031.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Lauren Underwood · Last progress November 20, 2025