Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 3762
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-06-05: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-30T08:06:03Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The "Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act" (H.R. 3762) aims to expand access to maternity and newborn care by requiring health insurance plans to cover prenatal (before birth), childbirth, neonatal (newborn), perinatal (around birth), and postpartum (after birth) health services as essential benefits without any out-of-pocket costs to patients, such as deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance.
Key Provisions
- Expansion of Essential Health Benefits: Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to explicitly include comprehensive maternity and newborn care in the list of essential health benefits that all qualified health plans must cover. This covers:
- Ultrasounds performed by licensed providers.
- Care for pregnancy loss or miscarriage.
- Delivery services, including anesthesia, fetal monitoring, specialist consultations, and postpartum health support.
- Existing maternity coverage requirements under federal laws like the Public Health Service Act, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and Internal Revenue Code.
- Non-preventive postpartum care for up to 1 year after pregnancy ends, including behavioral health services for conditions worsened by pregnancy (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, obesity).
- Behavioral health services for legal parents who did not give birth, covering the 1-year period after a child's birth.
- Prohibition on Cost-Sharing: Adds new requirements to the Public Health Service Act, ERISA, and the Internal Revenue Code, mandating that group health plans and health insurance issuers (for both group and individual coverage) provide these benefits without any cost-sharing. Cost-sharing refers to patient expenses like copays or deductibles.
- Implementation Timeline: Applies to health plan years starting on or after the date of enactment. Changes to essential health benefits are treated as part of the original ACA for consistency.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- ACA Amendments: Inserts a new paragraph (5) in Section 1302(b) of the ACA, detailing maternity care requirements, and redesignates the prior paragraph (5) as (6). This builds on the ACA's existing essential health benefits (which already included basic maternity care) by specifying minimum services and extending postpartum coverage to 1 year.
- New Statutory Sections: Introduces Section 2799A-11 to the Public Health Service Act, Section 726 to ERISA, and Section 9826 to the Internal Revenue Code. These ensure uniform no-cost-sharing rules across all major health plan types, aligning non-ACA plans (e.g., employer-sponsored) with ACA standards.
- Retroactive Integration: Treats these changes as if they were included in the original 2010 ACA enactment, allowing for seamless application without disrupting prior regulations.
Potential Impacts
- On Citizens: Improves affordability and access to maternal and infant care, potentially reducing financial barriers for pregnant individuals, new parents, and families. This could lead to earlier prenatal screenings, better postpartum support, and lower rates of untreated conditions like postpartum depression.
- On Government Agencies: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Labor (for ERISA enforcement), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will need to update regulations, guidance, and enforcement to implement these rules, possibly increasing administrative oversight of health plans.
- On Health Insurers and Employers: Insurers must absorb full costs for these services, which may raise premiums slightly but standardize coverage. Employers offering group plans will face compliance requirements without passing costs to employees.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as this is a domestic health policy focused on U.S. insurance markets.
- Broader Effects: Could decrease emergency room visits or uncompensated care for maternity issues, easing burdens on public health systems like Medicaid.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Pregnant Individuals, New Mothers, and Families: Primary beneficiaries, gaining cost-free access to comprehensive care.
- Newborns and Infants: Ensured coverage for neonatal and perinatal services.
- Health Insurance Issuers and Plans: Required to provide expanded, no-cost coverage, affecting product design and pricing.
- Employers: Must update group health plans to comply, particularly under ERISA.
- Healthcare Providers: Likely to see increased utilization of services like ultrasounds and behavioral health support without reimbursement barriers from patients.
- Federal Agencies: HHS, Labor, and IRS as enforcers; state insurance regulators for implementation.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal Implications: Reinforces the ACA's framework by harmonizing coverage across statutes (ACA, ERISA, Public Health Service Act), reducing potential litigation over inconsistent maternity benefits. Ensures enforceability through existing federal penalties for non-compliant plans (e.g., fines under ERISA or IRS rules).
- Constitutional Implications: Aligns with Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate health insurance markets; no apparent challenges to equal protection or due process, as it expands benefits universally without targeting groups.
- Political Implications: Bipartisan sponsorship (Democrats and Republicans) highlights focus on maternal health as a non-partisan issue, potentially influencing future family policy debates. May set precedent for eliminating cost-sharing in other preventive areas, though it could face opposition from insurers concerned about costs.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2]
Cosponsors (29)
Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40], Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4], Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22], Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1], Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13], Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9], Rep. Ryan, Patrick [D-NY-18], Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3], Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7], Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10], Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36], Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1], Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2], Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24], Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large], Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8], Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11], Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1], Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4], Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2], Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large], Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6], Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5], Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
Recent Actions
- 2025-06-05: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-06-05: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-06-05: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-06-05: Introduced in House
- 2025-06-05: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act — issued 2025-06-05 — PDF (7 pages)