# 119-s-1598: BABIES Act

119-s-1598, BABIES Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1598
- As of: 2026-05-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1598
- Congress: 119
- Title: BABIES Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-05
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-13

## Summary

**Expand access to freestanding birth centers** by funding start-up and expansion grants and by piloting Medicaid payment models to broaden birth center care for low-risk pregnancies. - Pregnant people on Medicaid: Could see more access to birth center care and coordinated coverage that spans prenatal care, delivery, at least two postpartum visits, and the newborn period through 28 days. - Freestanding birth centers: Accredited or soon-to-be accredited centers could get start-up or expansion grants of $300,000 to $500,000. Up to 15 centers could be funded for fiscal years 2026 through 2030, with priority for maternity care shortage areas. - States and Medicaid programs: States could run a four-year Medicaid demonstration testing prospective payment systems with federal matching for the first 16 fiscal quarters of participation. Planning grants would support up to six States and the demonstration is funded at $6 million per year for four years. *This bill would increase federal spending by $32 million in authorized appropriations.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Start-up grants for birth centers: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create Strong Start Birth Center Grants to help freestanding birth centers start or expand. For fiscal years 2026 through 2030, up to 15 centers each year could get a grant of at least $300,000 and up to $500,000. Eligible centers must be accredited or seeking accreditati…
- Medicaid demo for birth centers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would let HHS run a Medicaid demonstration to test new payment models for freestanding birth centers. It would cover women on Medicaid with a low-risk pregnancy in states picked for the test. The Secretary must publish rules and payment guidance within 1 year and states must st…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-1598 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1598)

## Related
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1598 (as of 2026-05-13).