YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyWorkers & JobsTransparency & AccountabilityNew mothers on Medicaid would get a full year of coverage after birth — plus dental care, and higher pay for midwives.
Your Money
Medicaid and CHIP now have to cover a new mother for only 60 days after a birth. That would become a full year on January 1, 2027, and a state could choose to go longer.
Today that year of coverage can be limited to pregnancy-related care. A new mother would instead get the same full benefits any adult on Medicaid gets, no matter why she qualified.
States would have to pay for dental work that prevents disease, repairs teeth, and treats emergencies. The list follows what pediatric dentists and pregnancy doctors recommend, and CHIP would cover it too.
States could not add waiting lists, income limits, or enrollment caps for low-income pregnant people, and could not cut what that coverage pays for. Federal payments would stop if they did.
Workers & Jobs
Pay for basic care would have to be at least what Medicare pays, starting the month after the law took effect. Rural and shortage areas could get up to 25 percent more, and managed care plans would have to meet the same level.
The list of providers paid at that level would add OB-GYNs, nurse midwives, other midwives working under state law, and the clinicians they supervise. Care given in a hospital emergency room would not count.
Transparency & Accountability
Before any state money goes out, an outside national group would be hired to check that states follow the rules and to measure results. It would report every year and issue a final report at the end.
The freeze on state cuts is temporary. It covers Medicaid until the new one-year rule starts in 2027, then CHIP through the end of 2030. After that, Congress would have to act again.
More about this bill
New mothers on Medicaid would keep their health coverage for a full year after giving birth, not 60 days. States could choose to cover them even longer. The same change would apply to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Both changes would start on January 1, 2027. Coverage in that year would be full Medicaid, not just pregnancy care. Dental care would become a required benefit too. That covers cleanings, exams, gum care, and fillings, while pregnant and for the year after. Through 2030, states could not tighten who qualifies or cut what pregnancy coverage pays for. The federal government would pay all of the added state costs. Midwives and doctors who treat Medicaid patients would get a raise. Pay for basic care would have to match Medicare rates. In rural and underserved areas, the rate could run up to 25 percent higher. Midwives and OB-GYNs would join the list of providers who get those rates. At least 10 states would also get money to try “maternity care home” programs. Each patient would get a care coordinator plus help with food, housing, rides, and child care. Two federal studies would look at doula coverage and at video visits for pregnancy care.
Congressional Summary
Maximizing Outcomes for Moms through Medicaid Improvement and Enhancement of Services Act or the MOMMIES Act This bill establishes a series of programs and requirements under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) relating to maternal health. For example, the bill expands eligibility for coverage under Medicaid and CHIP from 60 days to one year after the last day of pregnancy and requires such coverage to include oral health services. The bill also establishes a demonstration program in which states receive grants to implement or expand models for maternity care homes that provide services to Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries. The Government Accountability Office must report on (1) gaps in coverage under Medicaid and CHIP for pregnant and postpartum women, and (2) the use of telehealth by state Medicaid programs to increase access to maternity care.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-07-21
- Date Added
- 2026-08-26
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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