Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference to discuss her Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, bipartisan legislation that would require insurance companies to fully cover the costs associated with childbirth, including labor and delivery and prenatal, neonatal, perinatal, and postpartum care. Even with insurance, childbirth can cost families thousands of dollars, and expenses are even greater for women who have additional health complications during pregnancy, a high-deductible health plan, or gaps in their coverage. As a result, new mothers are twice as likely as other young women to have medical debt.
The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act would require that costs associated with birth be categorized as essential health benefits (EHB) and would remove the relevant services from insurance cost-sharing.
Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) cosponsor this legislation.
“The costs associated with having a baby can be astronomical, and we should be doing everything we can to lower them,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The fear of an enormous bill leads some women to delay seeking prenatal or postpartum care, or to avoid it entirely, which creates worse outcomes for both women and their babies. That is unacceptable. I am proud to be introducing this bipartisan legislation to require insurance companies to fully cover care throughout pregnancy and a year postpartum. I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to get this bill passed.”
The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act would eliminate cost-sharing for a variety of services, including:
- Ultrasounds
- Delivery services, including anesthesiology, fetal monitoring, consultations with specialists, and services relating to postpartum health
- Comprehensive postpartum care for physical and mental health conditions caused or exacerbated by pregnancy, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and postpartum depression and anxiety
- Mental health care and treatment for substance use disorder related to new parenthood for adoptive parents
- Care for miscarriages
The bill is expected to cause only a minor increase of $30 annually per enrollee in average premiums. Any rise in premiums due to covering out-of-pocket pregnancy costs will be likely less than annual inflation in premiums.
The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act is supported by medical providers and pro-family advocates, including the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Catholic Health Association, March of Dimes, American Principles Project, Concerned Women for America, and the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology.
The full text of the legislation is available here.
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