Mothers and Newborns Success Act
- Sponsor
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
- Committees
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Sep 22, 2026
Bottom line
This bill proposes a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy to combat the high rates of maternal and infant mortality in the U.S., with a strong emphasis on addressing systemic racial and geographic disparities in healthcare.
What it actually does
The Mothers and Newborns Success Act aims to significantly reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and address profound racial, ethnic, and geographic inequities in maternal health outcomes across the United States. It achieves this by continuing and establishing several competitive grant programs under the Public Health Service Act, focusing on state-level innovation, classification of birthing facilities, improving pregnancy-related data, enhancing postpartum care coordination, establishing a national maternal health research network, and expanding telehealth services for rural maternity care. The bill also mandates a national public and provider awareness campaign on maternal and child health.
Proponents argue
Proponents argue that the bill is a critical response to the alarmingly high and inequitable rates of maternal and infant mortality in the U.S., which significantly lag behind other developed nations. They emphasize that the bill directly confronts racial and ethnic inequities, acknowledging the role of racism and bias in healthcare, and provides evidence-based policies, improved data collection, and targeted interventions to ensure safe motherhood for all women, regardless of their background or location.
Opponents contend
Opponents might raise concerns about the expansion of federal programs and associated spending, questioning the potential for bureaucratic inefficiencies or the scope of federal involvement in areas traditionally managed at state or local levels. Some may argue that existing programs are sufficient, or that the proposed funding levels are either too high or insufficient to achieve the stated ambitious goals, or that the explicit focus on specific racial inequities could be divisive.
The bill is moderately complex but well-structured, allowing an informed reader to grasp its core provisions and implications within a reasonable timeframe.
Section 3, inserting new Section 330Q into the Public Health Service Act
State Maternal Health Innovation Program
This section continues the State Maternal Health Innovation Program and the Supporting Maternal Health Innovation Program, awarding competitive grants to eligible entities. The purpose is to assist states in implementing actions that address racial, ethnic, and geographic inequities in maternal health and improve maternal health outcomes, including the prevention and reduction of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. Funds can be used for activities like establishing State Maternal Health Task Forces, improving data collection, and promoting innovation in service delivery, such as addressing workforce needs and implicit bias.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this program is crucial for empowering states to tailor solutions to their specific maternal health challenges, particularly in addressing persistent racial and geographic inequities, and leveraging existing successful programs to drive meaningful change.
Critics contend
Critics might argue about the effectiveness of federal grant programs in achieving localized outcomes, or question the administrative overhead involved in managing such grants and ensuring equitable distribution across diverse states and tribal entities.
Tradeoffs
The program navigates the tension between providing federal guidance and allowing states flexibility to design interventions, while also ensuring that funds effectively reach and benefit the most underserved populations.
Section 4, inserting new Subsection (f) into Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act
Levels of Maternal and Neonatal Care Program
This provision establishes or continues a competitive grant program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist eligible entities in classifying birthing facilities. The classification will be based on the level of risk-appropriate maternal and neonatal care they can provide, using the most recent professional guidelines. Grantees will assess care levels and work with stakeholders to implement changes based on identified gaps and disparities in perinatal services and outcomes.
Section 4, inserting new Subsection (g) into Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act
Pregnancy Checkbox Quality Assurance Program
This provision establishes or continues a competitive grant program through the CDC to help eligible entities implement quality assurance processes for improving the validity of pregnancy checkbox data on death certificates. Activities funded include reviewing death certificates for women of reproductive age, confirming pregnancy status through various records, amending death certificates as appropriate, providing training to death certifiers, and coordinating quality assurance activities among relevant state and tribal health entities.
Section 5, inserting new Subsection (h) into Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Expansion
This section authorizes the Secretary, through the CDC, to continue and expand activities to collect data on maternal attitudes and experiences during the prepregnancy, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum periods. The aim is to expand data collection to all states, Indian Tribes, and territories, and to ensure adequate representation of racial, ethnic, and other communities of color in related datasets to improve understanding of maternal and infant health and well-being.
Section 6, inserting new Section 330R into the Public Health Service Act
Postpartum Care Coordination Pilot Program
This section establishes a competitive grant program for up to 10 eligible entities to identify and disseminate best practices for improving care and outcomes for women in the postpartum period, extending for at least one year following birth. The program focuses on connecting women to primary and specialized care (including behavioral health), addressing social and clinical determinants of health, developing new models of care (integrating community-based services), and creating condition-specific consumer materials to help women manage their health.
Section 7, adding new Section 452H to Subpart 7 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act
National Maternal Health Research Network
This section establishes a National Maternal Health Research Network through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to more effectively support innovative research aimed at reducing maternal mortality and promoting maternal health. The network will focus on various types of research—mechanistic, translational, clinical, behavioral, epidemiologic, and community-informed—to address the underlying causes of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, optimize diagnostics and treatments, improve health outcomes, and reduce inequities.
Section 8, inserting new Subsection (h) into Section 330A of the Public Health Service Act
Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program
This section continues the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program, awarding competitive grants to eligible entities. The program's goal is to improve access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities. It focuses on developing sustainable consortium approaches for rural regional care, coordinating a continuum of services from prepregnancy through postpartum, leveraging telehealth for high-risk expectant mothers, and demonstrating financial sustainability through improved outcomes and cost savings.
Section 9
Public and Provider Awareness Campaign Promoting Maternal and Child Health
This section authorizes the Secretary, through the CDC, to award competitive grants for a national evidence-based public and provider awareness campaign. The campaign will focus on the importance of maternal and child health, identifying and responding to maternal health warning signs, and the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations for pregnant women and children. Its goals are to increase vaccination rates, reduce racism and racial, ethnic, and geographic inequities in maternal and child health, and reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity.