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S5515119th CongressWALLET

CARE for Moms Act

Sponsored By: Senator Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]

Introduced

Summary

Expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage is the central aim of the CARE for Moms Act, paired with targeted funding to improve maternal care and workforce capacity. The bill ties new grants and program authorizations to training, bias reduction, doula expansion, and mobile obstetric services while reforming tobacco excise taxes to fund parts of the proposal.

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  • Pregnant and postpartum people would get continuous full Medicaid and CHIP benefits for 12 months and a separate 305‑day extended postpartum assistance period with enhanced federal matching early on. The law also requires coverage and public notice of oral health, mental health, and breastfeeding services.
  • Creates grant programs and regional centers to grow the maternal care workforce and improve quality. This includes $50 million for doula workforce programs and $35 million per year (FY2027–FY2031) for state perinatal quality collaboratives, plus regional centers to address implicit bias and cultural competency.
  • Targets rural and underserved access with a HRSA pilot for mobile obstetric units and requires states to protect patient privacy in grant data. The bill also raises and indexes excise taxes on many tobacco products, for example increasing small cigar rates to about $100.7 per thousand and imposing a floor‑stocks tax on existing inventory.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.

Longer Medicaid coverage after childbirth

If enacted, State Medicaid plans would have to provide full medical benefits during pregnancy and for 12 months after pregnancy ends. The bill would also require Medicaid to cover dental care during pregnancy and for one year after birth. As part of the change, the federal match for a defined postpartum assistance period (starting 60 days after pregnancy and lasting 305 days) would be 100% for a State's first 20 fiscal quarters, then 90% afterward. The bill would bar States from making pregnancy-based eligibility rules more restrictive for five years and would direct HHS to post information about Medicaid and CHIP pregnancy benefits on its website.

Higher federal tobacco taxes

The bill would raise federal excise taxes on many tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, roll‑your‑own, pipe, and smokeless tobacco. It would tax single‑use smokeless products at $100.66 per 1,000 units, index dollar rates for inflation after 2026, and impose a one‑time floor stocks tax payable within 120 days. Some rate changes would start six months after enactment and some would start after Treasury issues final rules.

Longer WIC support for breastfeeding

If enacted, breastfeeding women on WIC could be certified for two years after pregnancy instead of one. States could also elect to certify other postpartum women for two years. This would reduce how often eligible participants need to recertify for WIC breastfeeding benefits.

Mobile maternal health units pilot

If enacted, HHS would run a five‑year pilot giving States grants to buy and staff mobile health units for preconception, prenatal, postpartum, and obstetric emergency services in rural and underserved areas. Grants could also fund nutrition help, housing referrals, lactation support, and transportation. States would have to protect personally identifiable information from law enforcement and send non‑identifiable reports; HHS must complete a national evaluation by December 31, 2032.

90‑day notice for obstetric closures

Beginning 180 days after enactment, covered hospitals would have to notify HHS at least 90 days before closing an obstetric unit. Notices would need a community impact analysis and steps the hospital would take to find other providers. The rule would give communities and officials advance notice but would not prevent closures or guarantee replacement services.

Grants to improve maternal care workforce

If enacted, the bill would fund state perinatal quality collaboratives ($35 million per year for 2027–2031), regional training centers ($5 million per year for 2027–2031), and a $50 million program in 2027 to expand full‑spectrum doula training. These grants and cooperative agreements would support bias and respectful-care training, quality improvement, and scholarships linked to service in underserved areas. The programs aim to strengthen the maternity care workforce and reduce disparities.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]

IL • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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