Family Bills, Explained

The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act: what it would change about the cost of having a baby

A private health plan can charge a family part of the bill for prenatal visits, the delivery and the care afterward. It does that through three charges: the deductible, which is what you pay before the plan starts paying; a copay, which is a fixed amount per service; and coinsurance, which is a percentage of the cost you pay after the deductible. Together those three are called cost-sharing. The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act would set cost-sharing for pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care at zero.

What the bill would do

The bill has two main sections.

It spells out what maternity and newborn care has to include. The Affordable Care Act already lists maternity and newborn care as one of the essential health benefits, the 10 categories of services that health insurance plans have to cover under that law. The bill would add a minimum list under that heading:

The bill defines postpartum as the one-year period that starts right after a pregnancy ends.

It sets cost-sharing for that care at zero. Employer group plans and individual plans would have to cover the full list and couldn't charge a deductible, copay or coinsurance for it. The bill writes this rule into three federal laws: the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (the federal law for employer benefit plans), and the Internal Revenue Code.

Who it would affect

The bill would affect families with private health insurance, whether it comes through a job or is bought on their own. The text amends the laws that govern private plans and doesn't amend Medicaid. The change would apply to plan years that start on or after the day the bill becomes law, so each plan would follow it starting with its first plan year after that date.

Who introduced it

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) introduced S.1834 on May 21, 2025, with Senators Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) as original cosponsors.

Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) introduced the House version, H.R.3762, on June 5, 2025. It has 29 cosponsors, 24 Democrats and 5 Republicans.

Where it stands (checked October 4, 2026)

Neither bill has had a committee vote. To become law, the House and the Senate would both have to pass the same text before it could go to the President.

Your next step

Nexus Point Family Foundation started a petition supporting this bill and wrote a letter you can personalize and send to your senators and representative. Both are on the Nexus Point Take Action page.

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