Summary#
The Momnibus Act is a package of many programs and changes to address maternal health in the United States. It creates a federal task force on maternal health. It funds grants for community groups, health workforce training, nursing and midwifery education, maternal mental health services, and technology for maternity care. It extends WIC postpartum benefits from 6 months to 24 months and extends breastfeeding support to 24 months. The bill requires respectful maternity care training, creates hospital compliance programs, and calls for studies and reports on bias, data collection, and technology in maternity care. It includes provisions for veterans, American Indian and Alaska Native populations, and minority-serving institutions. It sets up programs and grants for pregnant and postpartum people in prisons and jails and reduces Federal Byrne grant funds for States that do not limit shackling of pregnant people. It authorizes telehealth models, a Medicaid/CHIP perinatal payment model demonstration, and several studies and task forces. The bill also creates climate-related grants and research programs to protect pregnant people and infants from climate risks.
What it means for you#
- If you are a new parent, you could be eligible for WIC food and breastfeeding support for up to 24 months after pregnancy instead of 6 months.
- Local community groups may get new grant funding to offer housing help, transportation, nutrition, childcare, and other nonmedical supports for pregnant and postpartum people.
- Hospitals and clinics may adopt respectful maternity care training and set up compliance programs to track and respond to reports of bias or mistreatment.
- Students and workers training to be midwives, nurses, perinatal health workers, or maternal mental health providers may see new scholarships and training programs.
- Pregnant and postpartum people in prisons and jails could see new programs, services, and protections in participating facilities.
- Public health agencies will collect and report more maternal health data, including data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, language, and other factors during public health emergencies.
- There will be grants and pilot projects for telehealth, digital tools, and an alternative payment model for perinatal care; states and providers may choose to join these demonstrations.
Expenses#
The bill authorizes specific funding in many sections. Publicly stated authorizations in the bill include:
- Social determinants grants: $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Community-based maternal equity grants (Honoring Kira Johnson): $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Respectful maternity care training grants: $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Respectful maternity care compliance program: "such sums as may be necessary" for fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
- Department of Veterans Affairs maternity programs: $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Perinatal workforce grants (schools/programs): $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Perinatal nursing workforce grants: $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Grants to promote representative community engagement in maternal mortality review committees: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 (with at least $1,500,000 reserved annually for Tribal/Urban Indian entities).
- Study on maternal health among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals: $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029.
- Grants to minority-serving institutions to study maternal outcomes: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Maternal mental health equity grant program: $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Maternal mental and behavioral health workforce grants: $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Bureau of Prisons model programs for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Justice for Incarcerated Moms State grant program: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Technology-enabled collaborative learning grants (one grant only): $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Grants to promote equity through digital tools (one grant only): $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
- Public health emergency maternal health funding (CDC and NICHD): $100,000,000 for CDC Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies; $30,000,000 for the ERASE MM program; $45,000,000 for PRAMS improvements; and $15,000,000 for NICHD (all amounts stated in the bill for addressing maternal health during public health emergencies).
- Climate-related community grant program to protect mothers and babies: $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
- Climate training grants for health profession schools: $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
- NIH IMPROVE Initiative: $73,400,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
- Maternal vaccination awareness funding change: $17,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 (amendment to an existing program).
For some programs the bill authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" or instructs the Secretary or agencies to award grants without a specific appropriation amount listed in the text. For those items, the bill does not state a fixed dollar total.
Proponents' View#
The bill text frames its purpose as ending preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities. Supporters design the package to address both clinical care and nonclinical factors (social determinants) that affect maternal outcomes. The bill emphasizes culturally and linguistically congruent care, respectful maternity care, workforce diversity, better data and measurement, support for veterans and incarcerated pregnant people, telehealth and digital tools, and climate risks to pregnant people and infants.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information in the bill text about specific objections or opposition views.