119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 7830
The Women Expansion of Learning and Labor Safety Act requires Medicare-participating hospitals to develop and implement discharge plans for pregnant patients who show signs of labor but are being discharged before delivery, effective January 1, 2027. These discharge plans must include clinical justification for the discharge, assessment of travel distance to the hospital, verification of reliable transportation, identification of a backup labor and delivery facility, and confirmation that the patient understands the plan in their preferred language. The bill also expands rural maternal health training programs by requiring bias training for participants and establishing performance milestones for grant recipients, while directing the Department of Health and Human Services to create a multi-center research initiative to evaluate different training models for healthcare providers and develop a public maternal health dashboard tracking outcomes and federal investments. The legislation applies to all hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals that participate in Medicare and affects pregnant individuals receiving care in these facilities.