U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced bipartisan legislation that would require insurance companies to fully cover the costs associated with childbirth, including labor and delivery and prenatal, neonatal, perinatal, and postpartum care. Gillibrand said even with insurance, childbirth can cost families thousands of dollars, and expenses are even greater for women who have additional health complications during pregnancy, a high-deductible health plan, or gaps in their coverage. As a result, new mothers are twice as likely as other young women to have medical debt.
The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act would require that costs associated with birth be categorized as essential health benefits (EHB) and would remove the relevant services from insurance cost-sharing.
Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) cosponsor this legislation.
“The costs associated with having a baby can be astronomical, and we should be doing everything we can to lower them,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The fear of an enormous bill leads some women to delay seeking prenatal or postpartum care, or to avoid it entirely, which creates worse outcomes for both women and their babies. That is unacceptable. I am proud to be introducing this bipartisan legislation to require insurance companies to fully cover care throughout pregnancy and a year postpartum. I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to get this bill passed.”
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