Bill · S. 1598· Senate(119-S-1598)
BABIES Act
- Introduced
- 5/5/2025
- Last activity
- 5/5/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Sponsored by
- Ben Luján
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The BABIES Act aims to address maternity care shortages and improve outcomes by expanding access to birth centers. It establishes a grant program to help eligible birth centers with startup or expansion costs, such as renovations and equipment. Additionally, the bill creates a Medicaid demonstration program to explore more effective payment models for freestanding birth center services. This program focuses on women with low-risk pregnancies who are eligible for medical assistance. The goal is to improve the quality, scope, and accessibility of these services.
Yes· 3 of 10
Would women be better off under this?+8
The bill directly aims to improve the quality, scope, and accessibility of maternity services for women.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+7
The bill provides grants and a Medicaid program specifically to expand access to birth center services in underserved areas.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
The bill specifically targets Medicaid-eligible individuals to improve their access to maternity care.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
The bill authorizes significant new appropriations for grants and Medicaid demonstration programs.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Expanded Access to Birth Centers: The bill provides grants for renovation, expansion, or construction of facilities, as well as purchasing equipment, which can help increase the number of available birth centers (Section 2, subsection (b)).
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Support for Underserved Areas: Grant awards will give special consideration to birth centers located in geographic areas designated as health professional shortage areas for maternity care or areas with low maternity care outcomes (Section 2, subsection (d)).
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Improved Care for Low-Risk Pregnancies: The Medicaid demonstration program is designed to improve access to, and the quality and scope of, services for women with low-risk pregnancies (Section 3, subsection (1)).
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Standardized Care and Safety: The bill requires birth centers in the demonstration program to meet specific care coordination, capability, and quality improvement requirements to maximize patient safety (Section 3, subsection (2)(A)(cc) and (ee)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Strict Eligibility Requirements: To participate in the demonstration program, birth centers must meet rigorous criteria including accreditation, specific licensure, and the ability to provide certain capabilities like emergency procedures and specific staff requirements (Section 3, subsection (2)(A)(i) and (ff)).
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Limited Scope of Care: The demonstration program is specifically targeted toward women with a "low-risk pregnancy," which is defined as an uncomplicated singleton term pregnancy (Section 3, subsection (5)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Women+8Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Children+5Good For Hispanic Americans+2
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+7Increases Medicaid Funding+5
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+3Reduces Government Spending-2
- 5/11/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/5/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota