To address maternity care shortages and promote optimal maternity outcomes by expanding access to birth centers and exploring more effective payment models for birth center care, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill creates grant program through HRSA to award competitive grants to freestanding birth centers for renovation, expansion, construction, equipment, and accreditation, with priority for maternity care shortage areas, creates strong Start birth center grant program to assist birth centers with start-up or expansion costs in underserved areas, with authorized funding and priority for maternity care shortage areas, and creates medicaid demonstration program to develop and test prospective payment models for freestanding birth center services, including state planning grants, certification criteria, and annual outcome reporting. It relies on appropriations, grants, reporting requirements, and compliance mandates. The main policy areas are Healthcare.
Who Benefits and How
Freestanding birth centers could gain revenue opportunities, Freestanding birth centers in underserved areas could gain revenue opportunities, and Medicaid-eligible pregnant women with low-risk pregnancies could face fewer barriers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State Medicaid programs would take on compliance duties, Hospital obstetrical care units could lose revenue opportunities, and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Creates grant program through HRSA to award competitive grants to freestanding birth centers for renovation, expansion, construction, equipment, and accreditation, with priority for maternity care shortage areas.
- Creates strong Start birth center grant program to assist birth centers with start-up or expansion costs in underserved areas, with authorized funding and priority for maternity care shortage areas.
- Creates medicaid demonstration program to develop and test prospective payment models for freestanding birth center services, including state planning grants, certification criteria, and annual outcome reporting...
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill creates grant program through HRSA to award competitive grants to freestanding birth centers for renovation, expansion, construction, equipment, and accreditation, with priority for maternity care shortage areas, creates strong Start birth center grant program to assist birth centers with start-up or expansion costs in underserved areas, with authorized funding and priority for maternity care shortage areas, and creates medicaid demonstration program to develop and test prospective payment models for freestanding birth center services, including state planning grants, certification criteria, and annual outcome reporting.
Key Policy Areas
Healthcare
Primary Purpose
The bill creates grant program through HRSA to award competitive grants to freestanding birth centers for renovation, expansion, construction, equipment, and accreditation, with priority for maternity care shortage areas, creates strong Start birth center grant program to assist birth centers with start-up or expansion costs in underserved areas, with authorized funding and priority for maternity care shortage areas, and creates medicaid demonstration program to develop and test prospective payment models for freestanding birth center services, including state planning grants, certification criteria, and annual outcome reporting.
Policy Domains
Whole bill
Identified Gains
- Freestanding birth centers
- Freestanding birth centers in underserved areas
- Medicaid-eligible pregnant women with low-risk pregnancies
- Pregnant women in maternity care shortage areas
- Pregnant women in maternity care deserts
Identified Costs
- State Medicaid programs
- Hospital obstetrical care units
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Morrison (for herself and Mrs. Hinson) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Freestanding birth centers, Freestanding birth centers in underserved areas
Medicaid-eligible pregnant women with low-risk pregnancies, Pregnant women in maternity care deserts, Pregnant women in maternity care shortage areas
Health Resources and Services Administration, State Medicaid programs
Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers, Hospital obstetrical care units
Positive-direction: Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers
Negative-direction: Hospital obstetrical care units
Certified nurse-midwives and licensed midwives
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → The Secretary identified in the operative section
- "the_commission"
- → The commission identified in the operative section
- "the_administrator"
- → The Administrator identified in the operative section
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology