S. 1834

119 S1834 IS: Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act
 U.S. Senate
 2025-05-21
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
  II
  119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
  S. 1834
  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
  May 21, 2025
  Mrs. Hyde-Smith  (for herself,  Mr. Kaine ,  Mr.
  Hawley , and  Mrs. Gillibrand )
  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
  Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
  Pensions
  A BILL
To prevent cost-sharing requirements for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal,
  perinatal, or postpartum health care.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act  .
2.
Essential health benefits to include prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal,
  and postpartum health care
(a)
In general
Section 1302(b) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18022(b) ) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
(2)
by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
(5)
Maternity and newborn care requirements
(A)
In general
The benefits referred to in paragraph (1)(D) shall include comprehensive prenatal, labor and delivery, neonatal, perinatal, and postpartum care and screenings.
(B)
Requirement
At a minimum, the care and screenings described in subparagraph (A) shall include—
(i)
ultrasounds by a licensed provider;
(ii)
services caring for the individual relating to spontaneous pregnancy loss or spontaneous miscarriage;
(iii)
delivery services, including services rendered during delivery, such as anesthesiology, fetal monitoring, consultations with specialists, and services relating to postpartum health;
(iv)
the services required to be covered under section 2725 of the Public Health Service Act, section 711 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and  section 9811  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(v)
postpartum care services that are not preventive, including behavioral health services, for conditions that may have been exacerbated by pregnancy or conditions as a result of pregnancy, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity; and
(vi)
for legal parents of a new child who do not physically give birth to the child, behavioral health services relating to new parenthood for the 1-year period beginning on the day of the birth of the child.
(C)
Definition of postpartum
In this paragraph, the term  postpartum  means the 1-year period beginning immediately after the pregnancy ends.
  .
(b)
Application
The amendment made by subsection (a) shall be considered as if included in the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 111–148 ).
(c)
Plan years
The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to plan years beginning on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
3.
No cost-sharing for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, or postpartum
  health care
(a)
In general
Part D of title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300gg–111 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
2799A–11.
No cost-sharing for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, or
  postpartum health care
(a)
In general
For plan years beginning on or after the date of enactment of the  Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act , a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for the benefits described in section 1302(b)(1)(D) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to the same extent that qualified health plans (as defined in section 1301 of such Act) are required to provide coverage for such benefits, and shall not impose any cost-sharing requirements for such benefits.
(b)
Definition of cost-Sharing
In this section, the term  cost-sharing  has the meaning given the term in section 1302(c)(3) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  .
(b)
ERISA
(1)
In general
Subpart B of part 7 of subtitle B of title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ( 29 U.S.C. 1185 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
726.
No cost-sharing for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal,
  or postpartum health care
(a)
In general
For plan years beginning on or after the date of enactment of the  Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act , a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for the benefits described in section 1302(b)(1)(D) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to the same extent that qualified health plans (as defined in section 1301 of such Act) are required to provide coverage for such benefits, and shall not impose any cost-sharing requirements for such benefits.
(b)
Definition of
  cost-Sharing
In this section, the term  cost-sharing  has the meaning given the term in section 1302(c)(3) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  .
(2)
Clerical amendment
The table of contents in section 1 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ( 29 U.S.C. 1001 et seq. ) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 725 the following:
Sec. 726. No cost-sharing for
  prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, or postpartum health
  care.
  .
(c)
Internal Revenue Code of 1986
(1)
In general
Subchapter B of  chapter 100  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following:
9826.
No cost-sharing for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal,
  or postpartum health care
(a)
In general
For plan years beginning on or after the date of enactment of the  Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act , a group health plan shall provide coverage for the benefits described in section 1302(b)(1)(D) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to the same extent that qualified health plans (as defined in section 1301 of such Act) are required to provide coverage for such benefits, and shall not impose any cost-sharing requirements for such benefits.
(b)
Definition of
  cost-Sharing
In this section, the term  cost-sharing  has the meaning given the term in section 1302(c)(3) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  .
(2)
Clerical amendment
The table of sections for subchapter B of  chapter 100  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
Sec. 9826. No cost-sharing for
  prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, or postpartum health
  care.
  .
(d)
Application
This section shall be considered as if included in the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( Public Law 111–148 ).