Virginia lawmakers are leading a bipartisan effort to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for childbirth and maternal care. The proposed legislation, introduced in both the House and Senate, would require private insurers to cover prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal, and postpartum care without cost-sharing — a standard already applied to Medicaid recipients.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) drew from her personal experience with placenta previa to underscore the financial and emotional burden of complicated pregnancies. “The idea here is this will help get more people in for prenatal and preventative care so that hopefully you will have fewer emergencies,” McClellan said.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and co-patrons Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) back the Senate version. Kaine noted that Vice President J.D. Vance previously supported the idea and could influence its path to becoming law.
Supporters say the bill bridges partisan divides and may help reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.
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