Maternity Care for Rural Communities Act of 2026

This bill changes a 2025 federal law (Public Law 119-21) that placed limits on State-directed payments under Medicaid. It would remove those limits for payments made for maternity, labor, or delivery services provided during a rating period beginning on or after July 4, 2025, by certain hospitals. The hospitals covered are rural hospitals, hospitals run by the Indian Health Service or an Indian Tribe, and hospitals where at least 50 percent of births in the most recent 12-month period were 'qualifying births.' Qualifying births include births paid for in whole or part by Medicaid, CHIP, or Medicare, births with services from the Indian Health Service or a Native Hawaiian health care system, and births to uninsured individuals for which the hospital had uncompensated care costs.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Sharice Davids Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors