Free mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers—insurers must cover it

What it does

This bill requires health insurance plans (group and individual) to cover mental health and substance use disorder services without any cost-sharing (copays, deductibles, coinsurance) for pregnant people and for one year after pregnancy ends. The requirement applies to in-network providers and takes effect two years after enactment. It covers telehealth services and applies to employer plans, individual insurance, and federal employee health benefits.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is a public health mandate requiring insurers to eliminate cost-sharing barriers to mental health and substance use disorder services for a specific high-risk population (pregnant and postpartum individuals). It is regulatory in nature, not a tax provision, appropriation, or commemorative measure.

What the text implies

• The bill defines 'continuing care' to extend coverage continuity for postpartum individuals receiving ongoing mental health or SUD treatment, potentially locking patients into in-network providers for up to 12 months postpartum even if they switch plans.
• Cost-sharing elimination applies only to in-network providers; out-of-network mental health services remain subject to cost-sharing, which may limit access in rural or underserved areas with sparse in-network networks.
• The 2-year implementation delay allows insurers time to adjust pricing and plan design; some plans may respond by narrowing mental health networks or raising premiums on other services to offset the mandate.
• The bill does not address non-cost barriers to care (appointment availability, provider shortages, stigma), so elimination of cost-sharing alone may not fully address access gaps in underserved regions.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Pregnant and postpartum individuals gain guaranteed access to mental health and substance use disorder services without financial barriers during a critical health period. This removes a documented barrier to care for a vulnerable population and aligns with evidence that perinatal mental health is essential to maternal and infant health outcomes.

Who stands to gain

• pregnant and postpartum individuals (direct beneficiaries of free mental health/SUD services)
• mental health and substance use disorder providers (increased patient volume and reduced patient cos

Named in the bill

Public Health Service Act (PHSA), Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC), Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), health insurance issuers, group health plans, mental health service providers, substance use disorder service providers

Where it stands

25 cosponsors: 25 Democrats.

• Jan 22, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 22, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $69,792 in lobbying spend. A filing names 56 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Gwen Moore, the sponsor, reported $754,653 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Assn. of State and Territorial Health Officials — $49,792 on 1 filing
• National Alliance on Mental Illness — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.