119-S-2289 Journalist Public Summary
119 · S 2289 Healthy Moms and Babies Act
A bipartisan Senate bill to improve maternal care in Medicaid and CHIP by tracking and reducing low‑risk C‑sections, creating optional “maternity health homes,” expanding telehealth pilots, supporting doulas and workforce training, collecting social‑needs data, and tightening program integrity—now in the Senate committee process after a March 19, 2026 hearing.
Headline Summary
A bipartisan plan to upgrade Medicaid and CHIP maternal care—reducing preventable complications, expanding coordinated and telehealth services, supporting doulas, and improving data and oversight.
What It Does
S. 2289 (Healthy Moms and Babies Act) updates Medicaid and CHIP (the public programs that cover many births) to improve maternal and infant health. It requires states to report and work to safely reduce low‑risk Cesarean (C‑section) rates, adds an optional “maternity health home” model for coordinated prenatal-to‑postpartum care, funds telehealth demonstrations, directs guidance and studies to expand doula and community‑based supports, strengthens data collection on social needs, and tightens program‑integrity audits. Medicare would also require hospitals to report a standard C‑section quality measure.
Who’s For It
- Bipartisan sponsors: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R‑IA) and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D‑NH).
- Maternal‑health and patient‑safety advocates who favor tracking outcomes and expanding coordinated, culturally responsive care (e.g., doula access and group prenatal care).
- Rural and telehealth proponents who see value in remote monitoring and virtual visits to close access gaps.
- Quality‑improvement collaboratives and clinicians aiming to lower unnecessary C‑sections and disparities.
Who’s Against It
- State officials concerned about new federal reporting mandates (e.g., annual low‑risk C‑section reporting) and administrative burden.
- Hospitals wary of additional Medicare quality reporting tied to C‑section metrics and potential public comparisons.
- Privacy advocates uneasy about expanded collection of social‑determinants information, even with confidentiality protections.
- Budget hawks and some Medicaid plans concerned about costs of new programs, audits, and compliance (e.g., biennial PERM audits and error‑reduction plans).
What’s Next
Status as of March 20, 2026: Introduced July 15, 2025 and referred to the Senate Finance Committee; the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on March 19, 2026. Next steps would be committee markups and votes, possible Senate floor consideration, then House action, and finally the President’s desk if it passes both chambers.
Key details and timelines
- Low‑risk C‑section reporting: States report annually starting January 1, 2027 through January 1, 2037, including quality‑improvement activities and progress.
- Medicare quality reporting: Hospitals must report the NTSV C‑section rate; CMS to adopt this measure for inpatient quality reporting beginning with FY 2027 payments and factor it into maternity‑care quality designations.
- Maternity Health Homes: States may opt in beginning April 1, 2028; coordinated care spans pregnancy and a full 365‑day postpartum period.
- Telehealth demonstrations: HHS awards state grants within 18 months of enactment; 4‑year projects, with up to $10M per state application.
- Doula/CHW access: MACPAC study followed by HHS guidance on covering doulas under Medicaid and supporting community‑based models.
- Workforce reskilling: A national expert group to issue best‑practice recommendations on birthing care within one year of being formed.
- Social‑determinants data: HHS to assess and guide standardized collection; new federal and state funding to build data capacity; ongoing $1M/year for CMS implementation.
- Program integrity: CMS to conduct biennial PERM audits starting in FY 2027; states over a 15% error rate must file reduction plans; state improper‑payment mitigation plans due January 1, 2026.
What it could mean for families
- More coordinated support across pregnancy and the first year after birth if your state adopts the new health‑home option.
- Greater access to telehealth, remote monitoring (e.g., blood‑pressure cuffs), and community‑based support like doulas—especially in rural or underserved areas.
- Increased focus on safer, lower‑risk births by tracking and reducing unnecessary C‑sections, while addressing racial and ethnic disparities.
- More transparency and quality‑improvement work at hospitals caring for pregnant patients.
Discussion