Maternity Care for Rural Communities Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10728 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10728

  To provide that certain limits on State-directed payments under the 
 Medicaid program not apply to certain maternity, labor, and delivery 
                               services.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2026

Ms. Davids of Kansas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide that certain limits on State-directed payments under the 
 Medicaid program not apply to certain maternity, labor, and delivery 
                               services.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Maternity Care for Rural Communities 
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING THAT CERTAIN LIMITS ON STATE-DIRECTED PAYMENTS UNDER 
              THE MEDICAID PROGRAM NOT APPLY TO CERTAIN MATERNITY, 
              LABOR, AND DELIVERY SERVICES.

    Section 71116(b) of an Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant 
to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (Public Law 119-21) is amended--
            (1) in the header, by striking ``Grandfathering'' and 
        inserting ``Treatment of'';
            (2) by striking ``In the case of'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) Grandfathering.--In the case of''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Exemption for payments for certain maternity, labor, 
        and delivery services.--In the case of a payment described in 
        section 438.6(c)(2)(iii) of title 42, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (or a successor regulation), made for maternity, 
        labor, or delivery services furnished during a rating period 
        beginning on or after July 4, 2025, by a specified entity, no 
        limit on such payment shall apply.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Qualifying births.--The term `qualifying 
                birth' means, with respect to a birth at a hospital, 
                any birth with respect to which the individual giving 
                birth--
                            ``(i) received maternity, labor, or 
                        delivery services for which payment for such 
                        services was made in whole or in part under--
                                    ``(I) a State plan under title XIX 
                                of the Social Security Act (or waiver 
                                of such plan);
                                    ``(II) a State child health plan 
                                under title XXI of such Act (or a 
                                waiver of such plan); or
                                    ``(III) title XVIII of such Act;
                            ``(ii) received maternity, labor, or 
                        delivery services provided by the Indian Health 
                        Service or a Native Hawaiian health care system 
                        (as defined in section 12 of the Native 
                        Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act); or
                            ``(iii) did not have minimum essential 
                        coverage (as defined in section 5000A(f) of the 
                        Internal Revenue Code of 1986) and for which 
                        the hospital incurred uncompensated care costs 
                        (other than charity care costs).
                    ``(B) Specified entity.--The term `specified 
                entity' means any of the following entities:
                            ``(i) A rural hospital.
                            ``(ii) A hospital operated by the Indian 
                        Health Service or by an Indian Tribe under the 
                        Indian Self-Determination and Education 
                        Assistance Act.
                            ``(iii) A hospital for which, with respect 
                        to the most recent 12-month period for which 
                        data is available, at least 50 percent of all 
                        births at such hospital were qualifying 
                        births.''.
                                 <all>