# 119-hr-5202: BABIES Act

119-hr-5202, BABIES Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Morrison, Kelly [D-MN-3] (D-MN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5202
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5202
- Congress: 119
- Title: BABIES Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-08
- Sponsor: Rep. Morrison, Kelly [D-MN-3] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Would expand access to freestanding birth centers** by funding start-up and expansion grants and by creating a Medicaid demonstration to test new payment and delivery models for low-risk pregnancies. - Pregnant people and newborns: People with low-risk pregnancies would have more local options for prenatal, birth, and postpartum care, and the demonstration would test payment structures that cover care through delivery and the newborn's first 28 days. - Freestanding birth centers: Eligible centers could get grants of $300,000 to $500,000, with awards to up to 15 centers across FY2026–2030, for construction, equipment, accreditation, and licensure costs. - States and Medicaid: Up to six States could receive planning grants to design demonstrations, selected States would run 4-year trials of prospective payment models, and the federal share of demonstration payments would be reimbursed at the Federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP). *Would increase federal spending by providing $5 million authorized for the grant program (FY2026–2030) and by allocating $3 million for FY2027 planning grants plus $6 million for FY2028–2031 for the Medicaid demonstration.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Hinson, Ashley [R-IA-2] (R-IA), 2025-09-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Medicaid pilot for birth center care: benefit, medium. The bill would start a Medicaid pilot to test new payment models for freestanding birth centers that serve women with low-risk pregnancies on Medicaid. HHS would set rules within 1 year; selected States would start within 2 years and run each test for 4 years. The federal government would pay each…
- Grants to expand birth centers: benefit, low. The bill would create HRSA grants for freestanding birth centers. Money could pay for renovations, expansion or construction, equipment, and accreditation or State licensure. Up to 15 centers could get awards each year from FY2026 to FY2030. Each grant would be $300,000 to $500,000. Congress would…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5202 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5202)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-2548: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2548)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5202 (as of 2026-04-21).