Sponsors (3)
The bill aims to improve postpartum pelvic health through guidance, standardized terms, training, and modest federal funding—potentially expanding access and data—while relying on voluntary state adoption and limited funds, which may leave persistent coverage gaps, strain state budgets, and create access and privacy challenges.
Postpartum women on Medicaid (and other Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries) may gain clearer federal guidance that could lead to expanded coverage or payment for pelvic floor exams and pelvic health physical therapy, improving access to needed postpartum care.
Postpartum women and clinicians will receive education and clinician training on pelvic floor exams and pelvic health physical therapy, increasing awareness, uptake, and quality of postpartum pelvic care and diagnosis.
States and health systems will get standardized clinical definitions and recommended diagnosis codes, improving identification, tracking, and measurement of pelvic floor dysfunction in Medicaid/CHIP data and enabling better policy and program responses.
Medicaid beneficiaries and postpartum women may see little practical change if states do not adopt the nonbinding federal guidance, leaving existing coverage disparities intact.
State governments and taxpayers could face increased Medicaid costs if coverage or payment incentives are expanded, prompting budget trade-offs or requests for federal waivers.
Postpartum patients—especially low-income individuals—may face greater demand for pelvic health physical therapy without guaranteed insurance coverage or enough trained providers, creating new access and out-of-pocket cost barriers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Directs HHS to issue Medicaid/CHIP coverage guidance and funds a CDC-led education program to improve postpartum pelvic floor screening, therapy access, and coding.
Official title: Direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on coverage under the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act of certain pelvic health services furnished during the postpartum period, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 11, 2026 by Lisa Blunt Rochester · Last progress May 11, 2026
Creates a federal program to improve screening, education, training, and Medicaid coverage guidance for postpartum pelvic health. The bill directs HHS to issue guidance for State Medicaid and CHIP plans on covering pelvic floor exams and pelvic health physical therapy, requires a GAO study of Medicaid coverage gaps for postpartum services, and funds a CDC-led education and training program for clinicians and postpartum people with $2 million annually for FY2027–2031.