IMPACT to Save Moms Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8907 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8907

  To direct the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
  Services to implement the Perinatal Care Alternative Payment Model
 Demonstration Project to test various payment models with respect to
maternity care provided to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2026

Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Carbajal,
Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Craig, Mr. Davis of
     Illinois, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Evans of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Gottheimer, Mrs.
 Hayes, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Lynch, Ms. McCollum, Ms.
 McClellan, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Meng, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin,
 Mr. Moulton, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Sewell, Ms.
  Simon, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Stansbury, Mrs.
  Sykes, Mr. Takano, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mrs. Torres of California,
   Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, and Ms. Williams of Georgia)
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To direct the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
  Services to implement the Perinatal Care Alternative Payment Model
 Demonstration Project to test various payment models with respect to
maternity care provided to pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Innovative Maternal Payment and
Coverage To Save Moms Act'' or the ``IMPACT to Save Moms Act''.

SEC. 2. PERINATAL CARE ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT MODEL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

    (a) In General.--For the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2031,
the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section
as the ``Secretary''), acting through the Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall establish and implement, in
accordance with the requirements of this section, a demonstration
project, to be known as the Perinatal Care Alternative Payment Model
Demonstration Project (referred to in this section as the
``Demonstration Project''), for purposes of allowing States to test
payment models under their State plans under title XIX of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and State child health plans
under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.) with respect to
maternity care provided to pregnant and postpartum individuals enrolled
in such State plans and State child health plans.
    (b) Coordination.--In establishing the Demonstration Project, the
Secretary shall coordinate with stakeholders such as--
            (1) State Medicaid programs;
            (2) maternity care providers and organizations representing
        maternity care providers;
            (3) relevant organizations representing patients, with a
        particular focus on patients from demographic groups with
        elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal
        morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse
        perinatal or childbirth outcomes;
            (4) relevant community-based organizations, particularly
        organizations that seek to improve maternal health outcomes for
        individuals from demographic groups with elevated rates of
        maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health
        disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes;
            (5) perinatal health workers;
            (6) relevant health insurance issuers;
            (7) hospitals, health systems, midwifery practices,
        freestanding birth centers (as such term is defined in
        paragraph (3)(B) of section 1905(l) of the Social Security Act
        (42 U.S.C. 1396d(l))), Federally-qualified health centers (as
        such term is defined in paragraph (2)(B) of such section), and
        rural health clinics (as such term is defined in section
        1861(aa) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)));
            (8) researchers and policy experts in fields related to
        maternity care payment models; and
            (9) any other stakeholders as the Secretary determines
        appropriate, with a particular focus on stakeholders from
        demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality,
        severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or
        other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes.
    (c) Considerations.--In establishing the Demonstration Project, the
Secretary shall consider any alternative payment model that--
            (1) is designed to improve maternal health outcomes for
        individuals from demographic groups with elevated rates of
        maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health
        disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes;
            (2) includes methods for stratifying patients by pregnancy
        risk level and, as appropriate, adjusting payments under such
        model to take into account pregnancy risk level, including
        consideration of the appropriate transfer of patients by
        pregnancy risk level;
            (3) establishes evidence-based quality metrics for such
        payments;
            (4) includes consideration of nonhospital birth settings
        such as freestanding birth centers (as so defined);
            (5) includes consideration of social determinants of
        maternal health;
            (6) includes diverse maternity care teams that include--
                    (A) maternity care providers, mental and behavioral
                health care providers acting in accordance with State
                law, and registered dietitians or nutrition
                professionals (as such term is defined in section
                1395x(vv)(2) of title 42, United States Code)--
                            (i) from racially, ethnically, and
                        professionally diverse backgrounds;
                            (ii) with experience practicing in racially
                        and ethnically diverse communities; or
                            (iii) who have undergone training on
                        implicit bias and racism; and
                    (B) perinatal health workers; or
            (7) includes consideration of maternal mental health
        conditions and substance use disorders.
    (d) Eligibility.--To be eligible to participate in the
Demonstration Project, a State shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
    (e) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct an evaluation of the
Demonstration Project to determine the impact of the Demonstration
Project on--
            (1) maternal health outcomes, with data stratified by race,
        ethnicity, primary language, socioeconomic status, geography,
        insurance type, and other factors as the Secretary determines
        appropriate;
            (2) spending on maternity care by States participating in
        the Demonstration Project;
            (3) to the extent practicable, qualitative and quantitative
        measures of patient experience; and
            (4) any other areas of assessment that the Secretary
        determines relevant.
    (f) Report.--Not later than one year after the completion or
termination date of the Demonstration Project, the Secretary shall
submit to the Congress, and make publicly available, a report
containing--
            (1) the results of any evaluation conducted under
        subsection (e); and
            (2) a recommendation regarding whether the Demonstration
        Project should be continued after fiscal year 2031 and expanded
        on a national basis.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Alternative payment model.--The term ``alternative
        payment model'' has the meaning given such term in section
        1833(z)(3)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
        1395l(z)(3)(C)).
            (2) Maternal mortality.--The term ``maternal mortality''
        means a death occurring during or within a 1-year period after
        pregnancy, caused by pregnancy-related or childbirth
        complications, including a suicide, overdose, or other death
        resulting from a mental health or substance use disorder
        attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy-related or childbirth
        complications.
            (3) Maternity care provider.--The term ``maternity care
        provider'' means a health care provider who--
                    (A) is a physician, a physician assistant, a
                midwife who meets, at a minimum, the international
                definition of a midwife and global standards for
                midwifery education as established by the International
                Confederation of Midwives, an advanced practice
                registered nurse, a doula accredited by a State to
                receive reimbursement for doula services under a State
                plan (or a waiver of such plan) under title XIX of the
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or a
                lactation consultant certified by the International
                Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners; and
                    (B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal health.
            (4) Perinatal.--The term ``perinatal'' means the period
        beginning on the day an individual becomes pregnant and ending
        on the last day of the 1-year period beginning on the last day
        of such individual's pregnancy.
            (5) Perinatal health worker.--The term ``perinatal health
        worker'' means a nonclinical health worker focused on maternal
        or perinatal health, such as a doula, community health worker,
        peer supporter, lactation educator or counselor, nutritionist
        or dietitian, childbirth educator, social worker, home visitor,
        patient navigator or coordinator, or language interpreter.
            (6) Postpartum and postpartum period.--The terms
        ``postpartum'' and ``postpartum period'' refer to the 1-year
        period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy of an
        individual.
            (7) Severe maternal morbidity.--The term ``severe maternal
        morbidity'' means a health condition, including mental health
        conditions and substance use disorders, attributed to or
        aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth that results in
        significant short-term or long-term consequences to the health
        of the individual who was pregnant.
            (8) Social determinants of maternal health.--The term
        ``social determinants of maternal health'' means nonclinical
        factors that impact maternal health outcomes.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
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