Boosting Rural Maternity Care: Funding Hospitals and Expanding Coverage.
This Act aims to stabilize and improve access to maternity and delivery services, particularly in rural and underserved areas, by significantly increasing funding for eligible hospitals. It mandates 12 months of continuous, full Medicaid/CHIP coverage for pregnant and postpartum individuals and streamlines access to immediate prenatal care. Furthermore, it requires hospitals to provide timely public notice before closing obstetric units.
Key points
Financial Support for Hospitals: Eligible rural and safety net hospitals will receive higher Medicaid payment rates for maternity services (starting at 150% of the Medicare rate) to cover costs more accurately.
Preventing Unit Closures: New "Anchor Payments" will be introduced for low-volume obstetric hospitals to cover essential standby capacity costs, helping them remain operational.
Expanded Maternal Coverage: Continuous, full Medicaid and CHIP coverage is mandated for pregnant individuals for 12 months postpartum, replacing previous shorter or optional coverage periods.
Workforce and Data: The bill supports deploying federal health personnel to areas with urgent maternal care needs and requires hospitals to publicly report detailed data on obstetric unit closures and service costs.
Expired
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