SENATORS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO EASE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH
Hyde-Smith, Kaine, Hawley & Gillibrand Tout ‘Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today introduced new, bipartisan legislation to insulate expecting parents from the high cost of pregnancy and childbirth by eliminating insurance cost-share fees on services related to prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum healthcare.
The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act (S.1834) would ease the out-of-pocket costs paid by parents to have a child, which today forces many to incur debt and struggle to pay medical bills. The legislation would prevent cost-sharing requirements for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, or postpartum health care for Americans with private health insurance.
“Bringing a child into the world is costly enough without piling on cost-share fees that saddle many mothers and families with debt. This legislation would take away some of the burden for childbearing generations. By relieving financial stresses associated with pregnancy and childbirth, hopefully more families will be encouraged to embrace the beautiful gift and responsibility of parenthood,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.
“In recent years, we’ve made tremendous progress to lower health care costs and expand access to care,” said Senator Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “But we have more work to do—especially as Americans grapple with more and more economic uncertainty. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to reduce costs related to maternal care and childbirth for millions of expectant and new mothers, and will keep doing all that I can to ensure that high-quality care is within reach for mothers and their newborns throughout their lives.”
“Being pro-family means fostering an economy that makes it feasible to raise a child. But too often, parents find themselves dealing with sky-high medical bills following the birth of a child. This legislation would eliminate out-of-pocket maternity costs for families with private health insurance and prohibit private carriers from imposing cost-sharing on beneficiaries, empowering parents to focus on what matters most,” Senator Hawley said.
“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.”
While the average out-of-pocket costs of childbirth for mothers in large-group employer insurance is approximately $3,000, a reported 17 percent face bills topping $5,000 and 1 percent face bills exceeding $10,000. One report revealed that 17.5 percent of women with private insurance said they had problems paying medical bills and another study showed almost 9 percent reported being “unable to pay medical bills.”
S.1834 is supported by a number of medical provider organizations and pro-family advocacy groups.
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