119th (2025–2027)
S. 3274
The Healthy MOM Act aims to expand access to affordable maternity care by creating special enrollment periods for pregnant women and requiring comprehensive maternity coverage across health insurance plans. The bill allows pregnant women to enroll in health insurance through the ACA marketplaces, employer plans, and federal employee health plans outside normal open enrollment periods, and requires all health plans that cover dependents to include full maternity, childbirth, and postpartum care regardless of the dependent's age. Additionally, the legislation makes permanent a 12-month continuous Medicaid and CHIP coverage requirement for pregnant women and postpartum individuals and establishes income eligibility protections for these groups. The amendments take effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2027, except for federal employee benefits and Medicaid provisions with slightly later implementation dates. The bill addresses the nation's maternal mortality crisis, particularly its disparate impact on Black women and other communities of color, by improving access to comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care, which research shows prevents complications and reduces overall healthcare costs.