S. 5515
CARE for Moms Act
Sponsor: Richard J. Durbin · 0 cosponsors
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Community Access, Resources, and Empowerment for Moms Act or the CARE for Moms Act
This bill establishes and expands federal programs to increase access to health care for pregnant and postpartum women, particularly those in underserved communities. It also increases and expands excise taxes on tobacco products.
The bill requires state Medicaid programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover women for 12 months postpartum and to cover dental services for pregnant and postpartum women The bill also allows for two years of postpartum coverage for women under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Also, the bill establishes grant programs for
- state-based collaboratives to improve perinatal health care,
- mobile health units for obstetric care in rural and underserved communities,
- the doula workforce, and
- regional centers of excellence to educate health professionals on implicit bias and culturally competent care.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must publish information on Medicaid and CHIP benefits for pregnant and postpartum women and report to Congress on maternal health needs and expenditures.
In addition, hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, must notify HHS at least 90 days before closing an obstetric unit.
Additionally, the bill increases existing excise taxes on cigarettes, equalizes tax rates among all other tobacco products, and establishes annual inflation adjustments. It also establishes new excise taxes for other tobacco products deemed as such by the Food and Drug Administration that are not already subject to such federal taxes.
Text of the bill
(a) In general. The Secretary shall establish and implement a program to award grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to establish or expand programs to grow and diversify the doula workforce, including through improving the capacity and supply of health care providers.
(b) Eligibility. To be eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract under subsection (a), an entity shall be—
(1) a health professions school;
(2) a school of public health;
(3) an academic health center;
(4) a State or local government;
(5) a territory;
(6) an Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, urban Indian organization, or Native Hawaiian organization;
(7) a community-based organization; or
(8) another appropriate public or private nonprofit entity or a consortium of public or private nonprofit entities, including entities that promote multidisciplinary approaches.
(c) Use of funds. An eligible entity that receives a grant or enters into a contract under subsection (a) shall use the funds received pursuant to such grant or contract for 1 or more of the following activities:
(1) Establishing programs that provide education and training to individuals seeking appropriate training or certification as a full-spectrum doula.
(2) Expanding the capacity of existing programs that provide education and training to individuals seeking appropriate training or certification as a full-spectrum doula for the purpose of increasing the number of students enrolled in such programs, including by awarding scholarships for students who agree to work in underserved communities after receiving such education and training.
(3) Developing and implementing strategies to recruit and retain students from underserved communities, particularly from demographic groups experiencing high rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, including racial and ethnic minority groups, into programs described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
(d) Funding. In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section, and there is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, to remain available until expended.