The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act: Cost‑Free Birth for All Families

Why does this legislation matter?

In the United States today, many would-be parents face staggering medical bills for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care — even when they have insurance. These hidden costs discourage family formation at precisely the time when the nation needs more births.

At Population Research Institute, we believe that access to cost-free birth—that is, birth without hefty medical bills—should be a basic right, not a privilege. Removing financial barriers to childbirth is a pro-birth policy: it helps couples confidently choose parenthood without the fear of medical debt.

That’s why PRI supports the Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, bipartisan legislation currently introduced in both houses of Congress, which would ensure that all prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, and postpartum care are covered without cost-sharing (no co-pays, deductibles, or coinsurance).

What the Bill Does

• Senate version: S. 1834 — “Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act”
• House version: H.R. 3762 — companion bill in the House of Representatives

These bills would:

1. Make maternity and newborn care (prenatal care, labor & delivery, neonatal, perinatal, postpartum) an essential health benefit.
2. Prohibit all cost-sharing (co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance) for those maternity and newborn services in private insurance plans.
3. Include miscarriage or spontaneous pregnancy loss care, nonpreventive postpartum care (e.g. for conditions exacerbated by pregnancy), and behavioral health services for new parents (including legal parents who did not physically give birth) for up to one year after birth.

Read the full text of the bill here. 

Why PRI Backs This as a Pro‑Birth Policy

1. Encouraging childbearing
   When couples are deciding whether they can afford a child, the risk of huge medical costs weighs heavily. Making birth cost‑free removes a major financial barrier and helps tip the balance toward procreation.
2. Reducing debt & financial stress
   Many new parents take on medical debt due to childbirth (co-payments, surprise charges, high deductibles). Eliminating cost-sharing protects families from entering debt at the outset of parenthood.
3. Better health outcomes
   When cost is not a barrier, more parents pursue timely prenatal and postpartum care, which improves maternal and neonatal outcomes and reduces complications.
4. Pro-natalist consistency
   As an organization focused on population renewal, PRI supports policies that eliminate disincentives to having children. Cost-free birth aligns precisely with that goal.

We recognize that cost-free birth is not a standalone cure for the U.S.’s persistently low birthrate, but as we’ve said before: Money isn’t the only solution, but it sure helps.

Why This Matters for the Future of America

• America’s fertility rate is well below the replacement level (2.1 children per woman).
• Dropping birthrates pose serious long-term challenges: workforce shrinkage, weaker economic growth, aging population burdens.
• We cannot and should not attempt to rely on immigration to make up the birth dearth — we must restore confidence and incentives for families to have children.
• Cost-free birth is a meaningful, concrete policy that supports families in the decision to have more children.

At PRI, we will:

• Monitor the progress of S. 1834 / H.R. 3762 and publish regular updates
• Mobilize our network to urge constituent pressure
• Produce educational materials, social media campaigns, and local outreach
• Collaborate with allied organizations