Medicaid covers nearly half of all births in the United States, yet millions of pregnant and postpartum people still face gaps in coverage, limited access to providers, and barriers to essential care. The MOMMIES Act directly confronts these failures by expanding Medicaid postpartum coverage, guaranteeing comprehensive benefits, and strengthening access to primary, reproductive, and community‑based care.

“It is unacceptable that, year after year, more mothers continue to die as a result of our nation’s inequitable and failing health care system — especially women of color,” said Senator Booker. “The MOMMIES Act is a critical step toward building an equitable, high‑quality maternal health care system that protects every mother in America.”

"The maternal morbidity crisis that plagues our nation is as unjust as it is unnecessary," said Representative Pressley. "Our nation has the ability to support equitable, comprehensive, culturally-congruent healthcare for all—and that must include reproductive and maternal care for all people, and in particular communities of color who bear the brunt of this morbidity crisis. My paternal grandmother died during childbirth in the 1950s, and it is unacceptable that the statistical odds of a Black person's safe passage through childbirth remain much the same as the days of my Grandma Carrie. The MOMMIES Act is an essential step towards improving maternal health outcomes and saving lives."

Between 2000 and 2014, the U.S. maternal mortality rate increased by 26 percent, even as rates declined in most other developed nations. Black women remain more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy‑related causes as white women. For every death, dozens more experience severe complications with lasting consequences for their health and economic security.

What the MOMMIES Act would do:

• Extend postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage — Expands coverage from 60 days to a full 12 months after pregnancy, ensuring new mothers have sustained access to care during the most vulnerable period.
• Guarantee full Medicaid benefits — Requires all pregnant and postpartum individuals to receive comprehensive Medicaid coverage, not limited pregnancy‑related benefits that vary by state.
• Expand oral health coverage — Mandates dental coverage under Medicaid and CHIP, aligning with recommendations from ACOG and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
• Launch a Maternity Care Home demonstration — Tests coordinated, community‑centered models of care in at least 10 states to reduce racial, geographic, and income‑based disparities in maternal and infant outcomes.
• Strengthen provider access — Restores and expands the Medicaid primary care payment rate floor to include OB/GYNs, midwives, and advanced practice clinicians.
• Increase access to doula services — Directs MACPAC to study state Medicaid coverage of doula care and requires CMS guidance to help states expand access.
• Evaluate telehealth for maternity care — Commissions a GAO study on telehealth‑based maternity services and recommendations for scaling effective models nationwide.

The full text of the legislation is available here.

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